The Lazy Blonde Mess and The Sophisticated Avenger
by Subdainx
Summary: Sasuke feels that he is truly alone in this world, not that he's complaining. He's forced to deal with people he absolutely despises on a daily basis. When a new student transfers to the private school Sasuke is currently attending, Sasuke truly sees the true extent of human cruelty first hand. Sasuke tries hard to remain calm, to remain normal. But he's making this really hard.
1. Chapter 1

This is something I thought of just recently, making this another **experimental fanfic**.

This is placed in an **alternate universe**, with **no determined length set** yet, the original idea was to make it a one shot or something equally as short, but it is **easily extendable** for I have a complete plot in my head.

This fanfic also tends to lean towards the bond between **Sasuke and Naruto**, whether it turns into a pairing, I'm not quite sure for it will develop.

Please do _review, follow and favorite_ if you at all enjoyed this chapter, or don't it's not really my place to force you to do anything, but the motivation is greatly appreciated.

**Disclamer**: I do not own Naruto at all, for only this alternate plot is mine. Naruto belongs to it's respective owners somewhere across the world in which I'm to lazy and unmotivated to research, therefore making this disclaimer message useless and invalid. Lets hope I don't get sued.

**I do not wish to offend anyone** so for any readers interested in this story, please be prepared for anything or make your own suggestions because there's only a vague plot outline I have in mind. **Whether this turns into a yaoi or straight pairing, I have no clue.** Read at your own risk.

* * *

He was sitting on the window ledge, gazing at the snow covered streets, or at least attempting to. The occasional car passed by, struggling to maintain control in this monstrous blizzard. It wasn't too much a surprise, visibility was almost zero. He had to yawn; the day was tiring and was a complete waste of time, as usual.

The usual chatter of students was there, some laughter, giggles, groans and gossip rang through Sasuke's ears. The usual he supposed. He couldn't help but stare at the teen beside him rather irritated.

"-And that new kid! What a freak!" the girl chirped. Her eccentric pink hair stood out more than anything; of course it had caught the attention of both males and females alike. To his 'luck' however, the girl had no interests in anyone else, besides the young raven haired teen himself of course. Luck really wasn't on his side recently; in fact he couldn't remember it ever being on his side at all. He didn't have to hold a doctorate in psychology to understand what was going on here. It was simple. She was blabbing again, with her group of friends that spread more filth around the school than the city sewage system.

And the subject? The new kid, Naruto Uzumaki, which Sasuke Uchiha did not understand at all. He didn't understand the blonde haired teen himself, nor did he understand the urge to suddenly hate his new face. For fucks sake it's only been a week! How do you already find something to gossip about in a week! It didn't make any sense in Sasuke's eyes. To be honest with himself, he thought of Sakura as a snake and her little demonic affiliates as snakes as well. In reality all they did was spit venom, and that was actually pretty accurate. If she wasn't gossiping, she was either skipping class or flirting with him.

Hell, she even considered Sasuke as a friend, which of course meant her little den of snakes thought he was a friend too. The girls in her crew went head over heels over him, and the guys respected him, for what he didn't even have a clue. He despised them all, much like how he despised everyone else.

Well, that wouldn't be the entire truth. There was one person he still cared for, and that was Itachi Uchiha, his elder brother. Well, slightly cared for anyways. It had been years since the inhumane slaughter of his entire family, the only two survivors were Itachi and himself. Having a 21 year old that hadn't finished school work and support both himself and a sixteen year old, it was rough. But surprisingly, wherever Itachi was working, it was more than enough to pay the bills and put food on the table; but as a result, it was killing Itachi as a person. He couldn't remember the last time they had a conversation together. If the students at this private school thought his own grunts posing as responses were bad, Itachi's deafening silence was absolute agony.

The bright, cheerful and optimistic Itachi Uchiha turned into a cold and silent individual. He was bright, even after the massacre, but good things could only last for so long. God knows what Itachi works as, but it was making him six to seven figures yearly, more than enough to pay for a nice house, two nice cars and more than enough food. Truthfully speaking, if Sasuke had the opportunity, he would refund all of that just to get his brother back. But this had continued on for years, and Sasuke had lost love for his brother. The only thing that he had for him was a glimmer of respect, and that was only clinging on the old memories they had. Itachi was either at work, or out somewhere preparing for work. The only thing that would prove Itachi's existence in the household would be his scent and maybe a jacket. Other than that, Sasuke lived alone.

His depressing thoughts were interrupted by the pink haired female sitting next to him, and honestly he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "What do you think about him Sa-sa? Sakura asked trying to look cute. God he hated that nickname that she gave him, was it supposed to be adorable or something?

"Hn." Sasuke replied, inwardly smirking at Sakura's reaction. What did she expect? Their entire 'friendship' was based off of her asking questions and him grunting in either approval or denial, which had made him hard to understand. Somehow Sakura still persisted, expecting their relationship to change by asking more questions and attempting to socialize.

The most annoying part was that Sasuke couldn't tell her to fuck off, mostly because of their teacher, Kurenai. Speaking of which, Sasuke looked to his side to confirm his suspicions, Kurenai was currently glaring at him. Sasuke was at the top of his class, an honor student ever since he ever started teething on rubber toys; however that wasn't enough for Kurenai. Unlike most teachers, she didn't care about academic excellence too much; in fact Sasuke doubted if she cared about it at all. She believed that being a good person would take you farther in life in terms of happiness rather than being a snobby academic freak. That wasn't too far from the truth Sasuke supposed, but still. She told him react more positively with the student body, for it would 'increase personal awareness' and 'enrich the learning environment', he scoffed at the idea. The students in Sannin Private High School were almost exactly the same as the pink haired bitch sitting infront of him. Being exposed to a "richer learning environment" won't do anything to an already corrupted norm.

"Apparently he has a brother though!" a blonde haired female added in. Oh were they still on the same topic? Ino Yamanaka was Sakura's right hand woman, if she was gone for whatever reason; she was to take charge of the gossiping and insulting. These idiots had a hierarchy for god's sake.

"What was his name again? Kyukyu? Kyuee?" Ino added, causing Sakura to smirk. "It's a stupid name anyways" she commented.

"That's not the interesting part; apparently he's in some kind of gang!" Ino blabbed. Sasuke wouldn't lie; his interests were piqued when the information about the blonde's brother came into play.

"The idiot probably got his traits from his brother" was the response Sakura gave, and not too discreetly either. Seriously, he was willing to bet the entire class could hear if they shut up for just a minute.

Sasuke looked at back of the classroom to see the blonde haired teen for himself. He had his head lying on his folded arms, and was looking tiredly at the ground. There was no spirit in him, no energy, unlike the first day. It was odd. At the day of orientation, the kid looked so bright, his eyes were electric. Now however, Sasuke could have sworn his eyes had changed several tones. What was once electric blue had now turned into cold washed steel, and Sasuke was still wondering about that.

Contrary to popular belief, Sasuke did have a heart. As cold and as hidden as it was, he still did have the capabilities of caring like an average human being if he chose to. However, that side of him died a long time ago, and probably will never resurface. But this kid, it was hitting a few nerves. He could feel a tug somewhere near his chest when he looked at the tired looking blonde while listening to the venomous gossip that was being spread a few seats away. This wasn't the only time he heard something about the mysterious new student, it was all over the school. These kids didn't need reason to hate, it was second nature to them. It sickened Sasuke to the bone.

"I bet you he's just like his brother, he must have been a serious fuck up" Ino added casually, causing smirks and laughter to ring out within the small group of friends.

It was only for a brief second, but Sasuke caught the action. Naruto had flinched, meaning he heard what they were saying. Sasuke looked over at Naruto to see him slowly shut his eyes. One of his hands tugged his hair as he started clenching his teeth.

Sasuke felt that tug again, but he didn't care to stop any of it. Wordlessly the blonde decided to get up and head towards the teacher. He took the least populated path, making sure to avoid everyone skillfully, and Sasuke was willing to bet that he was the only one noticing the blonde haired male. Sasuke noticed what he was wearing; the standard school uniform was what he saw. A white formal dress shirt with the school's insignia on the right hand side, and oddly enough he was wearing a pair of navy blue sweatpants. The mixture of formal and lazy fit well with the blonde haired teen, oddly enough.

For a second, Sasuke thought that the blonde would resort in confronting the teacher for support, was he really that childish? A few second later showed that no, that wasn't the case. The teacher gave him a bathroom pass, but was looking worriedly at him. He lazily walked down the small area and opened the door to the hallway outside, silently he closed the door and like that he was gone.

Sasuke didn't feel right the moment that door closed; he felt something inside of him froce him to walk up to Kurenai. When he was there staring at the marking book on the desk, red pen in her hands, Sasuke didn't understand how he walked this far without being self-aware. "Ms. Kurenai, may I use the washroom please" Sasuke asked quickly, earning a look from Kurenai. "Be quick" was the response he got when the bathroom pass was quite literally shoved onto his chest. _What's her problem?_

Sasuke walked quickly, and closed the door as quietly as he could. He didn't understand what compelled him to ask for the bathroom when he clearly didn't need to. It didn't matter he figured, he slowed his pace and started walking normally again. He put his hands in his pockets as he casually looked at the various forms of decorations that were occupying the walls. To his right were a collection of art pieces done by the junior classes, directly a grade lower than him. While some looked like crude replications of famous pieces (much too similar to that of Picasso), others looked original and quite well done to be honest. He noticed the door to his right and proceeded to enter.

The familiar scent of urinal detergent hit is nostrils, which wasn't too big of a surprise. The bathroom was a weird one; it was kind of cozy and didn't at all feel like an average washroom. That wasn't what was bothering Sasuke however. What was surprising was the only other person in the room hunched over one of the sinks, who was nobody other than the blonde haired teen that was in his class just a few moments ago.

Sasuke would have ignored him, but the way the blonde was hunched over the sink worried him. Slowly and quietly, he started advancing towards the blonde, making sure he remained as silent as humanly possible. As he neared the blonde, he sensed something was off, and it unnerved him to no end. Sasuke leaned over to his left and saw something that made his jaw drop in horror, confusion and a sense of guilt to flood him.

His right wrist was intricately tattooed with a swirl pattern, but that wasn't what shocked Sasuke. It was the sheer amount of blood that was trailing down his wrists and onto the white sink below. Sasuke stood there frozen as he looked at the crimson liquid flow down the blonde's wrists and hesitate momentarily before dropping down and hitting the rest of the blood that had collected below. There was far too much blood in the sink for his liking, and personally, he liked his sinks with no blood in them at all.

Out of pure instinct, he grabbed the shoulders of the blonde and shoved him to the wall. Naruto's face resembled that of a deer facing speeding headlights, and the image was burned into Sasuke's mind. The look of pure surprise, innocence, and fear was hidden under the blonde's face. Slowly, that face transformed, not surprised anymore, but was now a face of indifference.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing" Sasuke gritted out with new found annoyance and fear. The adrenaline in his bloodstream hadn't died out yet, in fact it was increasing each moment. Naruto looked at Sasuke with a blank look; his eyes were half closed as if he was bored, tired and uninterested. It irritated Sasuke to no extent. "Answer my question you fuck, what's the matter with you" Sasuke demanded as he grabbed the blonde's collar.

They were around the same height, except it appeared Naruto was only a tiny bit taller. Naruto remained indifferent, and Sasuke's eyes were wide with irritation, and fear. He quickly grabbed Naruto's wrists and led him to the sink, not caring what situation he was putting himself in; he turned on the tap to release the water.

The crimson liquid mixed with the clear water, creating a pink solution that slowly went down the drain. Sasuke immediately put the blonde's wrists under the stream of cold water, as he softly started trailing his fingers down the tanned and damaged skin of the blonde male. Naruto was looking at the counter, face unreadable, but his left hand was clenched as his right one was being cared for by Sasuke.

He hadn't noticed until now that he was breathing heavily, while the blonde's breathing was quick and sharp. "What the fuck man" Sasuke whispered out as he focused on the damaged wrist. If Naruto hadn't pulled away yet, he was safe to continue tending to the damaged skin without the fear of him pulling away.

Moments passed until the flow of blood stopped, much quicker than Sasuke had expected. There was still blood on the counter and around the edge of the sink when he was finished tending to the wounds. The raven haired teen looked at the blonde, who was looking at the ground still, his face unreadable as ever. Under the warm glow of the light, Sasuke truly looked at Naruto for the first time. The bags under his eyes were deep, the horizontal scars on each of his cheeks were clearly defined, and the blonde mess of hair was brilliantly shaped in a messy manner. To put it in a blatant fashion, the blonde was nothing short from beautiful. Sasuke felt weird even thinking that, he was straight the last time he checked. Naruto finally looked at Sasuke; his blue eyes that held so much depth were staring directly at his own onyx black ones. The look of confusion was written all over his face, but more than that, the look of gratitude was identifiable as well. Sasuke felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time; it was a mixture of emotions. Satisfaction, happiness, and peace were just some of the words able to describe his complicated feelings.

Sasuke heard obnoxious laughter coming a little bit too close for comfort. Naruto noticed this as well, judging by the way his body tensed. "Go on, get out of here" Sasuke grumbled. The look of gratitude acquainted the blonde's face once more, as he left quickly. Sasuke looked over at the sinks which were still scarred from spots of blood. Sasuke immediately occupied the sink as he heard the door open. The obnoxious volume was unbearable at this point.

"Hey Sasuke my man how's it go- what the fuck man, what happened?" the obnoxious one asked. Sasuke took a glance at the large rectangular mirror in front of him to note that Rock Lee, Sai, and Kiba Inuzuka were behind him. Kiba was the one that asked the question. Judging by their uniforms, they were in the middle of football practice. He noticed that there was sweat gleaming on the three of their faces.

"I had a nosebleed" Sasuke replied casually. "Sasuke, that's a lot of blood" Lee added, causing worried looks from both Sai and Kiba. "I've been diagnosed with chronic nosebleeds I'm guessing, I haven't checked it out yet, but I'm planning to" Sasuke lied skillfully.

"Well that's some shit ain't it?" Kiba commented with worry. "Sasuke, I understand if you need space, we'll be more than glad to use the next washroom to suit your needs" Sai responded, earning nods of agreement from both Lee and Kiba. "Thank you, I'd like that" Sasuke said as he turned around while covering his nose with his hand to sell the effect. The look of shock from the three really surprised Sasuke, he turned around to see that his effect was a little too well done. There were large red stains on his shirt and his forearms, no doubt Naruto's blood. Sasuke's heart halted a bit as he was reminded of Naruto. It was a wonder how he was still standing after that much blood loss.

"Yo we better leave, Sasuke visit the nurse ASAP, you got it?" Kiba shouted as he ushered his two friends out the door. Sasuke grunted in response, and cursed his luck. He couldn't go back to class looking like this. It was probably a good idea to go upstairs and see if he had anything in his locker. He remembered that he left a cardigan neatly piled on the top shelf of his locker.

* * *

The trip to his locker was uneventful, and he had around fifteen minutes until class ended so there really was no point in going back to class with a teacher that didn't even bother. He opened his locker and cursed his luck for the second time that day, he could have sworn he had a cardigan but no such article of clothing was found. His locker was practically empty, the only thing that was in his locker were extra supplies and binders for his other classes. Sasuke shut his locker with a bit more force than necessary and put his back against it. Slowly, he slid down until he sat on the floor, with his back leaning against his locker.

It was second period currently, meaning lunch was about to start in around fifteen minutes, then he would have philosophy and then his last period, which was psychology. His teachers were all weird in some way and that was annoying for Sasuke. His philosophy class never did bookwork, only discussed beliefs and ideals. He doubted that was all to psychology, yet the teacher insisted on focusing on what the students believed in. The teacher himself was weird enough, he never saw that many piercings on a certified teacher before, but considering that he was a young adult much like his brother, it made sense. However, it was a waste of time, considering there were only a maximum of four kids in his class, with Sasuke included. The school was small, but a four person classroom was ridiculous. He growled in annoyance, school has been nothing more than a drag. The more he thought about it, the more he understood Kurenai's beliefs. She was still bitchy regardless, but Sasuke could fit in some room for understanding and sympathy.

He opened his eyes to see navy blue sweatpants and black shoes directly in front of him. He looked up to see the blonde directly in front of him, looking off to his right as he held up a white dress shirt in front of Sasuke's face.

Confused, Sasuke slowly raised his hands and took the shirt. "What's this for? He asked. The blonde looked at him with tired eyes. The blonde picked up a black Jordan backpack which Sasuke immediately recognized as his, and gave it to the raven haired male. "T-thanks" Sasuke managed to stutter out.

"Didn't see you in class, thought I'd give you your stuff" Naruto replied quietly. "And this?" Sasuke asked as he held the dress shirt in front of him. "Thought you would need an extra shirt" Naruto replied softly, one of his hands scratching the back of his head.

Sasuke couldn't help but give a small smile, "Thank you" he said. Naruto nodded and started to walk off. Sasuke bit his lip as he contemplated what he was about to do. Fuck it, why not?

"Naruto!"

The blonde froze when he heard his name; slowly he turned around to see the now standing raven haired male.

"You know you owe me for this shirt right?" Sasuke said with a smirk. Naruto smiled softly, "oh?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I might let it slide, you know, if you treat me to some lunch" Sasuke responded with a smirk. Naruto was shocked, but his smile didn't die down. "Guess that's easy enough" Naruto responded softly. He waved absently at the black haired male, and began to walk away.

"You dipshit you didn't even tell me where to meet you!" Sasuke yelled out. Naruto stopped in his tracks. Oh yeah, he had a point. Naruto turned back looking sheepish. "Just meet me outside the main entrance the moment lunch starts" the blonde said.

Sasuke smiled softly, "see you there dobe." Naruto smiled as he waddled down the hallway with both hands in his pockets.


	2. Chapter 2

This is the second addition to this story. I apologize if I'm bad at this, but hey what am I going to do. Read, Review, Follow and Favorite if you wish! It helps. Feedback is always good, no mater what it may be.

I understand that there may be spelling errors and stuff, just point the out in a PM. I'll be happy to fix it.

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Sasuke was currently waiting in the main foyer as instructed by the blonde. Sasuke didn't quite know why he was in the situation he was currently in, but really he didn't have any complaints. It was a great excuse to actually socialize with someone that was seemingly bearable. He couldn't help but smirk at the situation.

He was honestly surprised at Naruto's reaction; it would have made more sense to deny his request, even though it would make a solid dent in Sasuke's pride, it still made much more sense. Either the blonde was trying to make amends for the situation that they were both forced into in second period, or he genuinely didn't mind eating lunch with Sasuke.

He leaned back on the wooden wall that made up the main foyer. The entrance to his right was almost entirely made of glass, doors and wall included. The only thing that wasn't glass was the supports and ridges in-between the glass panes and they were made out of some dull silver like metal. Sasuke could see that the blizzard calmed down a bit, thus allowing many students to eat lunch outside, which was a relief. When he suggested eating lunch outside, he forgot about the blizzard. However, with the blizzard dying down, he would have to deal with students outside which was what Sasuke hated. There were only a few places to eat near the school, he didn't like dealing with kids inside of school, let alone outside.

He looked up at the wall opposite to him to see a large portrait of the founder of the school. The hazel eyes were staring at his onyx ones. Tsunade Senju was the head of the school; the portrait was of her in her prime, a mere twenty five years old. However, she aged incredibly well, for even today she looked at her prime. Sasuke couldn't remember a single wrinkle on her face, she must have been at least 40 by now, yet she was still model material. Sasuke was no pervert by any means, but her breasts didn't even begin to sag at her age, and those things were huge. Even in the portrait the artist felt the need to include them, they were certainly a sight to marvel. Sasuke couldn't even begin to understand how she was able to carry those things around, they must have equaled to the mass of a collapsed star.

Sasuke looked to his left when he saw a familiar mess of blonde hair walking towards him. Naruto was wearing a light black jacket that fit his frame nice and snug, he was wearing black sweatpants now and still had that dazed and lazy look on his face. "Yo" was the greeting he got from the male.

Sasuke looked at the blonde's pants; the familiar navy blue waistband was sticking out of the black one. "Naruto, are you wearing two pairs of pants?" Sasuke asked questionably.

"Nu-uh" Naruto said, "two pairs of _sweatpants_, to be more accurate" Naruto added. Sasuke looked amused. "And _why_ is that?"

"I believe a better question to ask would be _why_ the fuck not" Naruto replied, causing Sasuke to scoff. "Tch, whatever" Sasuke said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Where we headed?" The raven haired male asked. "I don't know, I'm new here" Naruto responded. Sasuke groaned at his own stupidity. "Right, forgot" he mumbled.

"You haven't eaten out yet?" Sasuke asked as he wordlessly started walking to the main entrance. Naruto began to follow. "Well I usually skip lunch to be honest, so no I haven't" Naruto said as he walked through the door Sasuke was holding for him.

"Oh? And why is that?" Sasuke asked absently as he began walking down the sidewalk. "Meh not really hungry usually" Naruto responded. "Well you better be hungry now, you're eating either way"

Sasuke made a left turn to enter the school's parking lot. "Where are we headed exactly?" Naruto asked.

"You wanna walk in the cold or have a nice warm ride?" Sasuke responded sarcastically. "Ride, I mean if it's not a bother" Naruto said sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but that habit of his was adorable to him.

"Get in dipshit" Sasuke said as he neared his car. Naruto stood in place slack jawed. It wasn't the most expensive car in the world, but it was impressive none the less. It was cobalt blue Ford Mustang hardtop. There wasn't anything flashy about it at all, but somehow the snow didn't pile nearly as much as the other cars in the lot. The tires were thick, Naruto concluded they were heavy duty snow tires, and the rims of the vehicle were matte black.

"You have a nice car" Naruto said as he walked to the passenger door. Sasuke was already in the driver seat when he looked out the window to see Naruto's hesitation to enter. He thought for a moment, but decided to ask anyways.

"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked, rolling down the passenger window. "Uhm, you sure you uh…" The blonde mumbled out as he pointed down at his feet. So the blonde didn't want to make a mess in his car.

"Tch, just get in will you" Sasuke teased playfully. Naruto opened the door and made sure to bang each foot three times on the frame of the car before entering to shake off any snow that collected under his feet. Sasuke rolled his eyes but felt happy that the blonde wasn't an inconsiderate slob.

Sasuke turned on the engine and felt the responsive purr immediately. Naruto leaned back and smiled like an idiot out the window, having no idea that Sasuke was looking at him and smiling.

"Close the windows will you" Sasuke mumbled as he started fumbling with his iPod. It was connected to the car's audio via Bluetooth. Sasuke scrolled through his tracks not really knowing what Naruto was into. He just took a guess and pressed the song.

The heavy bass coming from the subwoofer startled Naruto to the point where Sasuke couldn't help but snort in attempts to hold in his laughter. The kid practically jumped out of his skin.

Naruto glared at Sasuke but the pink blush on his cheeks only intensified when Sasuke smiled at him playfully. After a few seconds of staring at the teen beside him, Sasuke looked back at his iPod, feeling a blush creep up on his cheeks.

"What type of music are you into? Sasuke asked as he shifted the gears and drove out of the parking lot slowly. Sasuke tossed his iPod at Naruto clumsily before letting the blonde answer and drove out onto the main street at medium speed.

The raven haired teen glanced over at his right to see the blonde scrolling through his ipod, eyes focused. Sasuke had to smirk at the image. He looked back at the road then at the blonde again.

"What type of food do you like?" Sasuke asked while keeping his eyes on the road casually. Naruto kept his focus on the iPod which made Sasuke scoff. It took a few moments, but when the song started playing, Sasuke was a bit surprised. He figured Naruto would be into something soft, he hadn't expected something so heavy and electronic.

Sasuke immediately recognized the track as 'Voodoo' by Bassnectar. "You're into this kind of stuff?" he couldn't help but ask while looking at Naruto's pleased face. "Yeah I didn't think you'd have Bassnectar here" he replied while grinning. "Awesome music, the bass here is incredible!" he mumbled out happily with a grin plastered on his face.

"Hn, what type of food are you into? I was kidding about the lunch thing by the way, I'm paying" Sasuke stated. Naruto looked shocked. "Sasuk-"

"No, I don't want to hear it" Sasuke said as he help up a hand in front of Naruto's face, eyes never leaving the road. "In that case Ramen" was the happy answer he got. Sasuke's right hand turned into a fist when he softly punched Naruto's shoulder.

"I meant real food" Sasuke stated. Naruto thought for a moment. "Whatever you're into, I eat practically everything" Naruto said with a grin. Sasuke was content with that answer. He looked one more at the blonde next to him, he was looking out the window with a lazy look.

Sasuke said nothing as he shifted the gears and drove a little bit faster.

* * *

They arrived shortly afterwards, it was a ten minute drive and Sasuke wasn't exactly a speedy driver, not for any particular reason, he just enjoyed the feel of a slow car crunching through fresh morning snow. It was beyond relaxing, and if Sasuke could, he would have wished all his school days be like this. Snow always eased him. Sasuke was already further ahead waiting for the blonde.

Sasuke looked behind him to see Naruto wipe snow off of the car's front bumper with his tongue sticking out in concentration. Sasuke snickered as he whistled over to Naruto, who immediately stopped what he was doing and hurriedly jogged over to Sasuke.

He held the door open for Naruto as they both were greeted with the scent of various spices and herbs. Sasuke decided to go to his favorite place, a Indian/Chinese Haka restaurant that offered excellent chili chicken and fried rice. He looked over at the blonde to confirm that he had made the right choice.

"Can we have a menu please?" Sasuke asked the familiar female. "Oh hey Sasuke!" She acknowledged him happily as Sasuke gave a respectful nod in return. He's been a long time customer, and he's known Ayame for a while now. She looked at Naruto with a blush on her face. "Who's this?" She asked quietly.

Sasuke gave a smirk and patted Naruto's shoulder. "This here is Naruto, a new classmate of mine" Sasuke stated.

Ayame's blush didn't fade as she shook hands with Naruto who didn't catch what was going on. Really, was the kid that dense? He made a mental note to tease him about it later.

Sasuke took the menu that Ayame offered and walked over to one of the tables that were attached to the wall and was covered by drapes. He always proffered eating in privacy.

Naruto slid under the drapes and sat across from Sasuke. It was roomy enough, and this mini private room was quite nice. Sasuke wordlessly slid the menu over the table towards Naruto as he began to check his watch. The words NIXON were imprinted in white, as the black hands of the watch ticked mechanically every passing second. He still had an hour and forty five minutes left. There was no rush.

He gazed at the blonde, whenever the kid was looking at something given to him, boy did he focus. Sasuke found it kinda cute. He dismissed the idea with a scoff. _That was ridiculous._

Ayame came over just then, with a pen and mini notebook. She was wearing her uniform which consisted of a red apron and red cloth she fashionably styled with her hair. The golden logo of the restaurant was shining on the apron, Naruto was a bit mesmerized when he noticed it.

We'll have two orders of chili chicken, well done, make it extra large. A serving of fried rice with gravy, a side of steamed vegetables, and an order of beef chow mien." Sasuke said, causing Naruto to at Sasuke with a slack jawed expression. "Sasuke you eat a lot"

"Who said that was mine?" He replied, smirking at the expression Naruto made. "Relax one of the orders of chili chicken is mine, the rest is yours"

Naruto started shaking his head. "Fine I'll have some of the rice too" he gave in. Naruto smiled at nodded approvingly. It was amazing how his mood had changed so drastically since morning.

They waited for a few minutes until Ayame called out to them just then signaling that their food was ready. It was quick but was to be expected, they were the only ones in the restaurant due to the blizzard in the morning. Sasuke got up to get their order as well as Naruto but decided against it since Sasuke was trying to find his wallet. Ayame was waiting for them at the counter, she looked at them when Naruto grinned at her, causing her to blush.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel happy for the blonde; he was glad that Naruto wasn't in his morning state. He looked radiant, energetic. The look of laziness was still there of course. He figured it was probably the pink haired bitch that made him resort to such drast-

The entrance bell sounded and there stood Sasuke dumbfounded. _Oh you're fucking with me_. There was Sakura armed in her thick red Canada Goose jacket and mini skirt that was way too short to be legal. For fucks sake why would you wear a skimpy skirt with a thick ass jacket? The logic behind that was bananas.

He quite literally felt Naruto tense, even when their bodies weren't touching. The atmosphere tensed, but of course the pink haired bitch didn't notice a thing. "SASSSIEEE" she shrieked out, making Ayame grunt out "whore". Naruto couldn't help but snort quietly, making Ayame smirk in return. Sasuke cursed his stupidity, obviously this bitch had some sort of tracking device on him. I should have closed the drapes. Sasuke noticed that Ayame wasn't there, probably dealing with their order. He sighed as he got up with Naruto following suit.

Ino was there with her, wearing clothing that was much more modest. A pair of sweatpants and a half jacket with a long sleeved shirt underneath.

Sasuke sighed as she they both ran up to him, not noticing Naruto who was standing right beside Sasuke at that moment. The moment Ino noticed him, she squeezed Sakura's forearm getting her attention. When she noticed Naruto, she gave him the coldest glare Sasuke had ever seen.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She sneered. Naruto backed away slowly but stopped when he saw Sasuke's hand signal him to hold his ground.

"We were just having lunch" Sasuke stated casually, making Sakura eye Naruto and then blink at Sasuke in surprise. She suddenly grabbed Naruto's wrist causing both him and Sasuke to flinch, Naruto out of pain and Sasuke out of the thought of pain. She had a vice like grip on his wrist and began to sink her nails into the soft cotton that made up his sleeve. Sasuke looked shocked at the action, and before he knew it, he had shoved Sakura a pretty good distance because she was staring at him with wide eyes with her flat ass on the floor.

Not knowing what to do, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand and ran out of the restaurant. Once Sasuke was a safe distance away he speed walked silently to his car, still holding Naruto's hand. He opened the passenger door for him and watched the blonde get in tiredly. Sasuke jogged over to the other side and opened the door for himself and got in. The moment he was in the car he softly grabbed Naruto's wrist and saw the fresh reopened wounds. The blood was starting to flow once again, and he saw the nail marks of that pink haired bitch, and they were pretty defined. It must have sunken in a good inch or so.

Sasuke looked around in the car to find some sort of clean cloth, when he didn't find anything of that sort he cursed his luck for the umpteenth time that day. "Sasuke I-"

Sasuke gave glared at Naruto, it wasn't venomous like the ones he was used to. It held fear, worry, and above all else, guilt. It felt like the bathroom situation. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, earning a glare from Sasuke again. "What's so funny?" he asked the blonde who was chuckling away.

"Déjàvu isn't it?" Naruto asked with a sad smile. Sasuke looked over at Naruto with a pained expression. "Well fuck me if it happens again, I won't let it" Sasuke growled out causing a smirk to land on Naruto's features. "I'll hold you to that" he teased with a blush.

"Wait what?" Sasuke asked dumbfounded. "Ohh nothing" Naruto said as he looked out the window. A few moments of silence later a knock was heard near Sasuke's window. He looked to the left to see Ayame. Rolling down the window he looked at her confused.

"You forgot your food" She said while smiling. Sasuke nodded in thanks and began to check his back pockets for his wallet, only for Ayame to shake her head in refusal. "It's on the house, don't worry about it" she said as she handed Sasuke the bags. Ayame looked over at Naruto, then at his wrists. She had a shocked and worried face when she registered what was happening; Naruto shamefully hid his wrist under Ayame's gaze. Wordlessly she took of her head wrap and gave it to Naruto, leaning over Sasuke causing him to lean further back in his seat to avoid physical contact with her body. "Take it" she said softly looking at Naruto worriedly. Naruto smiled and mumbled a thanks before noticing the young woman's face. "Wow you're really pretty without the head wrap" She began to blush furiously.

Sasuke felt two things at this point. Grateful was one because of the help she offered, the second was a little bit annoyed because of the comment Naruto made. He didn't know why but he dismissed it all together. She finally leaned out of the car so that Sasuke could have breathing space again. "I better head back, be safe you two" she softly said while smiling then began to run back.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto while closing the window. Naruto had an unreadable expression, but it was clear that their plans took turns for the worst. "I'm sorry" was the response Sasuke gave which surprised Naruto. "For what?" he couldn't help but ask while cleaning off the rest of the blood. It was a miracle that nothing landed on their clothes or in the car.

Sasuke said nothing as he began to open the bag. He pulled out the take out parcels and opened his own, motioning his free hand at Naruto to start on his. Naruto stared at the parcel before opening it. The scent of chili hit the air and Naruto looked at the food. Never trying something like this before, he took a fork and stabbed the piece of chicken with it. He examined it carefully causing Sasuke to laugh. "You sure this won't kill me?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with an amused expression. "Only one way we can find out" He said earning a glare from Naruto. He slowly put the food on his fork in his mouth and started chewing. Sasuke sat there looking at Naruto not knowing what his reaction would be. After a few seconds Naruto stabbed another piece of chicken with his fork and plopped in his mouth, then another, and another. "This is fuckin' good" he managed to say in-between mouthfuls. Sasuke smirked.

The raven haired teen switched the knob to turn on the heater, and adjusted his driver seat comfortably so that he could eat. Naruto followed example, and there they were, eating in comfortable silence. "So are you with her or something?" Naruto asked casually. Sasuke carefully looked at Naruto's expression seeing that he was at ease and actually looked pretty happy while munching on his food. That's what good food did he supposed.

"Not really, but I have to deal with her shit for a reason" Sasuke said with an irritated growl. "Oh and what reason would that be? I mean if you don't mind me asking" Naruto asked while chewing on his food. "Well, you know our teacher, Kurenai?" Naruto nodded in response. "Well she thinks I'm being too moody with the kids or something equally ridiculous" Sasuke gruffed causing Naruto to snort in laughter. "You don't seem all sunshine and smiles you know" Naruto said chuckling, earning a smirk from Sasuke. "I just don't give the people the chance to know me if they don't deserve it" Sasuke added in.

"And what about me?" Naruto asked with a smile. "Well considering I didn't give you a black eye yet for being in my car, that's saying something" Sasuke replied with a smirk, keeping his eyes on his own food. "So then let me get to know you" Naruto said with a smile as he began to open the fried rice parcel. "You first" Sasuke said while having a spoonful of fried rice that Naruto was holding.

"I'm pretty sure you already know enough about me" Naruto mumbled while scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "What do you mean?" Sasuke asked confused. "Well with the rumors and stuff" He mumbled out softly. "Oh please, they're full of shit" Sasuke gritted out. "Nah, some of them are true though" Naruto said with a soft tone. Sasuke gazed at Naruto who was looking out the window right now. "For instance, I do have a tattoo on my wrist" Naruto added. "Yeah but they aren't cultist tattoo's like how people said they are, are they?" This caused Naruto to snort. "Where did they come up with that?" Sasuke smirked. "Fuck if I know"

Sasuke contemplated his question, not knowing if he was about to go too far in their short time of bonding. "And for the brother thing, that's true, well partly" Naruto said softly, answering Sasuke's question. "Partly?" The raven haired teen asked.

"Well yeah I do have a brother, and he's in some type of gang, but..." Naruto mumbled. "but?" Sasuke waited. "He's nothing like how people describe him, hell I don't even know how to describe him" the blonde mumbled out softly. Sasuke saw the pained look in the blonde's eyes. "Trust me, I know how it feels" Sasuke said as he started the engine of the car. "Really?" Naruto asked surprised.

"Yeah… more than you know" Sasuke said as he sped out of the lot. They decided to leave it at that, all the rest of the food was left in their parcels as they returned to school. Once he drove into the parking lot and parked his car, Sasuke was curious. "What classes do you have Naruto?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "I have philosophy next" This pleasantly surprised Sasuke. "With whom?" he asked. Naruto looked a bit sheepish at that. "I don't know, I saw his name but it looked like a typo or something" Sasuke smirked at that. "Did it say something like Pein or whatever?" Sasuke asked, making Naruto nod. "We have the same class then" Naruto grinned like a goofball while Sasuke could only smile. "Tch, we're going to be late" he said as he motioned Naruto to get out of the car. "What do you mean?! There's still half an hour!" Naruto screamed out behind Sasuke.

"That's late in my books" Sasuke said. He smirked when he heard the groan of annoyance from Naruto. Today wasn't all that bad so far, definitely more interesting than usual. As they walked down the hallway, Sasuke couldn't help but smile at the turn of events that happened today, of course there were parts where he'd happily want to cut out, it still led to them bonding. Complete polar opposites bonded well apparently.

Sasuke was determined to know more about Naruto.

"Sasuke aren't we going to our lockers?" the blonde behind him asked. "Nope" was the short response Sasuke gave, confusing Naruto even more. Sasuke took that as an opportunity to explain further. "Trust me, this class is a cakewalk" he said. "But Sasuke, I need to change! The heater is gonna kill me"

'It was your bright idea to wear two pairs of sweatpants you know" Sasuke said while snorting at the look on Naruto's face. After a few seconds of deciding, he finally gave in. "Fine let's go upstairs" Naruto smiled like an idiot as they began to go up the flight of stairs.

Once they reached their lockers, Sasuke was a bit disappointed that Naruto's locker was at the far end of the hallway, nowhere near close to his. The hallways were completely empty because everyone was either out for lunch or in the cafeteria. Naruto quickly opened up his locker and began rummaging through the mess of papers, clothes and empty bottles. Sasuke couldn't help but scoff at the mess. He noticed a magnetic photo attached to the inner wall of the locker. It was a photo of a young kid with bright blonde hair and blue eyes, and a taller kid with red hair. Before Sasuke could examine it further, Naruto came out of the mess he called a locker.

"Found it!" he said triumphantly. Sasuke scoffed. "tch, hurry up" was the response he gave. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him and began to quite literally pull his dress shirt over his head to save time. Sasuke rolled his eyes but couldn't help refocus them at the frame of Naruto's body. He was wearing a tight tank top, which made his muscles more evident and defined.

Sasuke truly noticed the body that the blonde had now. His muscles were lean, but not overly built. His arms were muscular, and gleamed slightly with sweat. Sasuke notice the tattoo on his wrist, which cut off in the forearm but began again in the bicep area. The scars on his wrist were barely visible under the pitch black ink. There was no way to tell how many scars there were under that ink because of the sheer intensity, and that worried Sasuke. He couldn't stop but stare at the blonde in front of him, he felt his finger tips go cold and a slight electric feeling was in the pit of his stomach and soles of his feet. He could have sworn he was sweating.

Naruto stretched out his arms, and his back, moaning at the feeling. Sasuke only looked at the ground blushing. _What the fuck is wrong with me_. Naruto quickly put on a white polo with the school's emblem on it. He took off his black pair of sweatpants and threw it at Sasuke. He barely caught it and glared at Naruto. He couldn't help but hold the fabric tight as Naruto walked up to him with a grin. "You know you've been staring at me for a while, like what you see?" Naruto teased as he flexed his arms in front of Sasuke. Sasuke blushed at first but then punched Naruto in the stomach playfully. Naruto kneeled over laughing while clutching his stomach in pain and Sasuke just stared at him, pink tint not leaving his cheeks. "Hurry the fuck up why don't you" Sasuke gritted out as he began to walk away.

"Hold on handsome, don't get your thong in a knot" Sasuke growled in embarrassment, while Naruto laughed and shut his locker.

* * *

The class was … different. That was the only word that Naruto could use to accurately describe his class. There was a circle formed with six chairs. Sasuke and he were the only ones in the class so far. They were sitting next to each other, with Sasuke on his phone and Naruto gazing at him. The room itself was very spacious, the carpet was beige and the walls were a polished dark wood color, nothing like an ordinary classroom. A few minutes later three kids entered the class.

There was a female, and Naruto could have sworn that shade of white was unhealthy. She had porcelain skin much like Sasuke, except she was a bit paler and Naruto doubted that was possible. She had pitch black hair that almost looked dark purple, and was looking at the ground, not saying anything or even looking up for that matter.

Then there was a kid that Naruto recognized, his eyebrows were impossibly bushy. His bowl hair was shiner than chrome. And his smile was enough to blind someone if angled correctly under sunlight. Rock Lee was the name Naruto believed. He gave Naruto a wave and smile and Naruto returned the same gesture. Not everyone was a complete asshole; Rock Lee was a prime example. Although they weren't exactly friends, they were still friendly towards each other. "Ahh, still as youthful as ever Naruto!" He screamed out. Naruto smiled but noticed Sasuke gaze tear away from his phone to Lee. "Sasuke! How was that nosebleed? It has healed I hope!" Lee said with determination. Naruto was confused, nosebleed? Sasuke looked over at him and discreetly looked at his wrist. Ahh that explained it. Naruto nodded in appreciation as he looked down at the ground. "It's currently better; I'm going to the doctor after school today" Sasuke lied. "Excellent!" the Lee shouted out.

The last person was a female, sitting next to Lee, leaning on his shoulder actually. She had buns on her hair and was looking tiredly at the phone in her hands. "Let me introduce the class to you Naruto!" Lee said in an excited fashion earning a smile from Naruto.

"This here is my girlfriend Tenten!" Lee stated. Tenten looked up and smiled at Naruto in a friendly fashion and did a small wave. Naruto smiled and waved back. "The youthful young woman right there is Hinata!" Lee added. Hinata looked up shyly at Naruto and had blushed a violent shade of red. Naruto chuckled at that and waved at her, causing an 'eep' to escape her mouth but she waved back. Sasuke rolled his eyes, irritated for unknown reasons.

"That is Sasuk-"Lee was about to say before Sasuke cut him off. "We're acquainted already, we had lunch together" Lee grinned. "EXCELLENT!" He shouted causing his girlfriend to groan. "A bit too loud" She mumbled as she kissed his shoulder. "Of course Tenten, sorry" He mumbled, causing Naruto to laugh.

Just then a strange looking man entered the class. He had vivid orange hair and had graphite black piercings on his nose, bottom lip and around five on each ear. He was handsome, Naruto concluded. And that mysterious aurora he was radiating further piqued Naruto's interests. The man was wearing a graphite black blazer with a white dress shirt underneath, and baggy black jeans. He looked more like a university student rather than anything.

"A new face" the man said to himself in an amazingly deep voice. He gazed at the classroom. "Before proper introductions are held, there's a slight change that the board would like to introduce. Who has psychology next period?"

Sasuke raised his hand and to his surprise as did Naruto. "Then you will stay in this class instead of going to Kakashi Hatake, he has been transferred to Math and I will teach psychology in substitution. Those who do not have the will to learn anything new in this class, feel free to leave. There will be no consequences at all if you choose to, just avoid hall monitors and feel free to do as you wish" the orange haired man said flatly in a deep voice.

Naruto looked at Sasuke questionably who gave that 'I told you so' look. The teacher looked at Naruto just then, causing him to squirm in his seat under the intense gaze, he couldn't find it in himself to make eye contact just yet. "You must be Uzumaki, Naruto. I'm known as Yahiko or Nagato, but you can call me Pein." Naruto nodded dumbly looking at Sasuke in confusion. Sasuke leaned over.

"There's a huge story behind it, I'll tell you later" he said, Naruto nodded in response. The blonde looked at Pein who was now staring at the ceiling. After a few moments, he decided to speak up. "Today's discussion will be about mass evolution or mass change done through manmade interactions" Pein decided as he walked outside the circle of sitting students.

"Matters such as nuclear war, international conflicts of sorts, global scale medical advancements, things like that" he added. "Think of it as a debate, whether you believe that a manmade change of that magnitude is needed, if it's inevitable, things of that sort. Begin."

Naruto thought for a moment. Seeing that nobody was raising their hands, Naruto took the initiative, albeit hesitantly. "Naruto." Pein acknowledged. Naruto thought for a moment before lowering his hand again shaking his head. Pein did an understanding nod as he waited for the class to participate in the discussion. Lee raised his hand.

"Lee." Pein acknowledged. "I believe war is unnecessary and only brings struggle and deceit" Lee said with a thoughtful look. "Yes, but struggle will create global awareness" the shy girl said, immediately cowering under the sudden attention. "Well said Hinata" Pein acknowledged. Naruto looked over at Hinata and smiled; she smiled back and started twiddling her thumbs under his gaze.

Sasuke noticed it, and he felt something tug at his heart. He dismissed it; it's been happening a lot today. The class phone interrupted his thoughts. It was ringing, and Pein walked over to it and answered. It took a few seconds but the class became lively again. Tenten was talking to Hinata while Sasuke and Lee were discussing the topic that had been given to them by the teacher just now. Naruto gazed at the floor listening at the various conversations taking place, he barely noticed Pein looking at him with a questionable look.

A few seconds later, the phone call ended. Pein walked over to the group of students with a blank look, the same look he had for the entire class so far, so nobody expected anything different. There was a pause; his cold hard almost lavender eyes were staring at Naruto. Naruto now noticed the intricate pattern of the iris in Pein's eyes, it was odd. Probably a birth effect he reasoned. But the stare was unnerving, and it made him squirm. "Naruto Uzumaki, you are to report to the main foyer immediately, your brother, Kyuubi Uzumaki is picking you up." He finished.

Sasuke internally flinched when he saw Naruto's blank reaction. All the brightness he had earned from the blonde today suddenly dissipated, as if it was never there to begin with. Sasuke cursed his luck. He looked at the blonde further; he didn't show signs of sadness, nor anger, nor happiness, nothing at all. It was just emptiness, an absolute neutral expression.

Naruto wordlessly got up with his eyes downcast, the students were staring at Naruto in a quizzical fashion, and the tension was easily identifiable. Sasuke got up and gave Pein an apologetic look, to which the orange haired man nodded respectably and brought up the class topic once again to change the subject. Sasuke started following Naruto out of the classroom.

Hallway after hallway, it was the same. The sense of absolute silence was unnerving to Sasuke. Once they reached the main foyer and exited the school, Sasuke was met with a red car which he immediately recognized as a 70's Chevrolet Chevelle SS. The two-seater car looked dangerous on top of the snow covered ground, the engine was purring. The windows were heavily tinted with black and the gloss red paint was contrasting the snow heavily. Snow and dirt was easily seen under the car and in-between the tires. The rims were chrome and shined marvelously. The American muscle car was not exactly what Sasuke had been expecting.

Naruto tensed beside him, which Sasuke noticed pretty easily. The driver door opened and Sasuke held his breath at the sight. There stood a male, about a head or so taller than Naruto, a bit more muscular than him from what Sasuke could tell, but he still maintained a lean frame. What was the most shocking was the red hair that the male had. He was wearing grey crewneck that made his arms seem a bit puffy and was wearing baggy black jeans with grey designs. He had his arms on top of the car near the driver's side. His left hand had the car keys while his right hand was resting on the roof of the car.

Naruto walked closer to the car a bit hesitantly. Sasuke felt Naruto tense when he felt the raven haired boy follow, but didn't say anything. He stopped to a halt and looked at Sasuke with begging eyes. Sasuke would have none of that, as he began to walk further to the car along with Naruto.

Sasuke was close enough to see his own reflection in the American Red paint. Sasuke looked up and couldn't help but flinch at the glare Naruto's brother gave him. His crimson eyes stood out more than anything, he was apparently a natural redhead, his eyebrows and some of the hair on his chin was red as well. Sasuke swallowed thickly. He had almost the exact same face as Naruto, except it was more defined and developed. A more mature version of Naruto it seemed. Naruto got in the car wordlessly, offering a weak smile and wave from the rolled down windows. Sasuke noticed the black interior of the car. The car didn't move, making Sasuke look up. The red haired male was still glaring at Sasuke, still not saying anything. He couldn't help but squirm helplessly under the glare.

After what seemed to be an eternity the red head wordlessly got into the car and drove out of school property with high velocity. Sasuke released a heavy breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. _Holy fuck_.

* * *

This is the song Naruto likes. watch?v=LTv7ZQWJQvI

And by the way, not all of you may be into cars, but it does tell a lot about the person. Which is why I chose a simple not too flashy older car. It seemed to fit well with the image in my head. And as for Sasuke, well he's Sasuke. There's not much to say. Google the cars and stuff if you have the time, or don't. I don't know what you like to do in your freetime.

Thanks for reading by the way :D


	3. Chapter 3

New chapter is up, a short one but very important. Well in my eyes anyways. Thanks to those who followed, Favorited and reviewed/commented. That's the only reason why I'm updating this quickly.

* * *

Sasuke was worried, more than he would like to admit. He hadn't seen Naruto all day today, and that was really pissing him off. Something about yesterday didn't sit well with him; it was either Sakura ruining the mood constantly, or the whole brother situation. Truthfully speaking, he'd rather deal with Sakura than Naruto's brother. Sasuke had never felt as helpless under something as little as a glare. He felt like a child, a different person all together.

He was in his third period class with his usual classmates, excluding Naruto. He groaned at the idea of it. Whatever happened yesterday, Sasuke wanted to know what exactly transpired, and he blamed that solely on his curiosity, that would be the most logical answer. He didn't care for him, obviously not.

Seriously, the kid had to have some form of communication. However, the more Sasuke thought about it, the smaller his list of options became. He hadn't ever seen Naruto check his phone before, hell he wasn't even sure if the kid had a phone. Ahh this was troublesome.

Sasuke noticed Lee blabbing about one thing or another with Hinata and Tenten. Would Lee have his number? The more he thought about it, he decided that it was probably not a good idea, it wasn't worth interrupting the eccentric boy's conversation, not by a long shot. He didn't want to deal with youthful cries today. Not when he was in such a pissed off mood, and he didn't even know why. It was irritating him to no end.

Did he have an email? That would be logical, Sasuke was sure even toddlers had emails now a days. Obtaining that sort of information however, was a completely different story in itself. Naruto only socialized with a hand select group of people, Sasuke only knew two people in that group; himself and the bushy eye browed kid in front of him. This was going to be tough.

The class was a bit too quiet without Naruto, which didn't make too much sense when Sasuke thought about it. Naruto never talked, never answered questions, never even breathed too heavily. He was the ghost of the classroom, but it was his presence that made all the difference, just knowing that the blonde was there at the back of the class made the class feel whole for Sasuke. It was odd really, he started realizing how empty the class felt whenever Naruto left for a washroom break or whenever he was called down to the office. Even before they started talking yesterday, he felt the feeling before and it was confusing him.

The blonde was probably sick, but something in his head was screaming that there was more to it than that. Something about his brother was unnerving Sasuke, maybe it was the intimidating stature, or those crimson eyes. Maybe just the attitude, Sasuke didn't know and quite honestly Sasuke didn't give a rat's ass. The only possible option now was to find out on his phone, and for that, he would have to face the serpent head on. The gossipers had all kinds of personal information, things he didn't even think of. He didn't want to think about where they got the information from to behin with. Sasuke sighed; it was going to be a long day.

* * *

"So you want _his_ email? She asked confused. Sasuke nodded slowly, if it took her this long to understand that one sentance, he wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. The bubblegum chewing pink haired teen was thoughtful for a second. "Why?" she couldn't help but asked in an annoyed tone, causing Sasuke's eyes to narrow. Was she always such a bitch?

"Because"

"Because what?" she replied with a sneer.

Sasuke thought for a moment, the only solution would be to lie to her right now. "I'm having something in store for him if you know what I mean" Sasuke said with a smirk, feeling disgusted by what he just said. Sakura smirked back "Ohhh that makes a lot more sense" she cooed. "You know Sasuke, you still owe me for that push you know" She said as she curled up against Sasuke.

Sasuke felt the urge to strangle a cat in the most horrific manner possible, but he stood in place. Oh the shit he had to deal with for the blonde. Sakura put her back against Sasuke and stuck out her rear, making sure to grind against Sasuke's crotch. He shuddered, who knows where that's been. _Naruto, you owe me_.

* * *

Naruto awoke softly, blinking his eyes a few times to readjust to the light penetrating the windows. He turned his head to the left to see it was 4:02, meaning he slept in big time. Naruto sighed, supposing one day of school missed wasn't all that bad. Hell he needed the rest. He stretched softly, making satisfied grunts as he removed tension in his muscles. It wasn't a bad wakeup call he supposed, sure as hell beat getting drilled in the head by the alarm clock.

After a few moments of silent bliss he decided to get up and head straight to the computer, not bothering to wash up just yet. He decided to browse the web for a bit, seeing if there were any new stories he could read. Naruto was fascinated in fictional pieces, which was a surprise to anyone who knew him. He didn't exactly look like the reading type, but looks could be deceiving. He browsed the web for a bit, noticing several of his favorite authors had made massive updates, he smiled at that. He would make sure to read them all later that night. Naruto felt the most at ease at night, thus making reading more enjoyable and beneficial. It was an odd little habit, but it was understandable. He decided to check his email shortly after, not really expecting anything new besides the usual promotional advertisements and fan fiction updates he would usually receive. He was surprised when a written email was sent to his Gmail account, not bothering to look at the sender, he clicked the message.

_Where were you today dobe, you won't believe the shit I went through to get this email address you dipshit, reply back._

Naruto looked at the sender to confirm his suspicions. The name 'Sasuke.U' was staring back at him. He couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculously professional name Sasuke chose. He began typing his reply for a few seconds; once he was done he clicked send, smirking at the thought of Sasuke's possible reaction. He leaned back on his office chair and put his arms behind his head. He began a huge yawn and stretched his arms out over his head.

Suddenly his arms were grabbed from behind and before he knew it, he was on the floor with a pair of strong forearms tightly place around his neck. "Now what's the pipsqueak doing here" the familiar deep voice growled out playfully. Naruto laughed as he tried to escape his brother's vice like grip, he had grown to resist sudden attacks like this pretty well and within mere moments he had reversed their positions entirely with Naruto in complete control.

"Not bad for a runt, too bad you copped that outta UFC" His brother smirked earning a grin from Naruto. "I'm ninja" naruto said as he tightened his grip, Kyuubi unintentionally looked at the computer screen, not failing to notice the profile picture of the sender. He was breathing heavily because of Naruto's grip but was able to talk without much trouble. "That the kid I saw yesterday?" he asked curiously while lightly struggling out of Naruto's hold.

"Yeah, I think you scared him honestly" Naruto said while laughing at the look Kyuubi made, naruto released his grip. "Well fuck if I care, kid's smart to shit his pants cause' of me" he said cockily while puffing out his chest. "Oh please" Naruto scoffed as he tried getting up.

Kyuubi immediately grabbed his knees and threw him on the floor earning more laughter from the blonde. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kyuubi growled playfully. The topic had unintentionally changed, and before they knew it, there they were, both sitting cross legged as they started talking about random subjects, drifting from their morning to how the universe was formed, to conspiracies, ultimately leading to the subject of Sasuke.

"So what type of kid is he?" Kyuubi asked as he starting running his fingers through his own red hair, however the mess refused to die down and his bed head stayed defiant, Kyuubi gave up and started trying to flatten his brother's hair instead. Naruto smirked but looked thoughtful while letting the older male run his fingers through his hair in a frustrated fashion. "Different" was the response Kyuubi got. "Kid I'm not good with cryptic language, speak English" he grumbled out while he tried to flatten the impossibly defiant blonde strands.

"He's different, what do you know understand?" Naruto teased while scratching the back of his head. Kyuubi grunted. "So like what, do I add this kid to my hit list or is he alright with you?" Kyuubi asked. "He's alright" Naruto said with a smile. Kyuubi nodded and began to stand up, only to be pulled back down again.

The redhead looked at Naruto confused when he had a serious expression on his face. "What's the matter?" He asked. It took a few seconds, but Kyuubi didn't pressure him, and for that, the blonde was grateful. "Is uhm, is … _he_ here?" Naruto whispered out quietly. Kyuubi's face softened at that. "Naw pipsqueak he ain't, probably off drunk somewhere" Kyuubi said absently, earning a small nod from Naruto.

"I just don't get it, wh-" Kyuubi shushed him by punching him on the shoulder. "You always ask me that, you know I don't have an answer" Kyuubi said seriously. Naruto nodded softly. "And even if I did, I wouldn't even know if I would want to tell you" Kyuubi said more to himself rather than Naruto. It took a few moments until Kyuubi shook his head violently. "Look what happened in the past is done, we're living now aren't we?" the redhead said in hopes of cheering up his younger brother.

"Barely, only cause of you and ... it's not like …w-whatever. Forget it" Naruto mumbled. Kyuubi narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "It's not like what?" he gritted out. "It's just that… it's only a matter of time before you leave" Naruto mumbled. Kyuubi sat there with his eyes wide, before he knew it, the punch connected with Naruto's stomach making him to go into fetal position due to the sheer pain. "Never say anything like that" the redhead growled out. A few moments passed and the pain began to subside, but the look of hurt was still in Naruto's eyes. Not out of physical pain, but out of mental fatigue.

"You don't actually believe that do you?" Kyuubi asked in desperation. Naruto's silence was all the answer he needed. Kyuubi sat cross legged and sighed deeply. Naruto easily identified the depressed look under his crimson red eyes. "Kyuubi, I didn't mean in a brotherly way, you're too stubborn to let me go anyways." Naruto said with a sad smile.

"Damn fucking right I am" Kyuubi growled as he put Naruto in a soft headlock. Naruto squirmed for a bit until he found a comfortable position in the soft grip his brother had on him. "Its just the shit you do every day. Shit that you keep a secret from me. "Naruto mumbled.

Kyuubi looked at Naruto in understanding. "Oh is that what this is about?" He mumbled. The redhead felt the soft nod of the blonde and sighed. How would he explain to Naruto? They never really discussed this before in detail, and for some reason, the older male wanted to finally lay down some hints and stepping stones, Naruto deserved at least that much. Everything he did was for Naruto's well being, and he hid it for good reasons. All he wanted In the world was Naruto's respect and his well being.

They both sat in silence for a while, each having their own thoughts, but neither of them spoke. It seemed like forever, the protective arms around his shoulders fidgeted for a bit.

"You know I'm doing all of this for you, right?" the red head out whispered softly. Naruto nodded gently but hesitantly, and that hesitation killed Kyuubi on the inside. "One day it's going to kill you, that's when you'll leave just like them. I've seen the conditions you try to hide. It's a black eye if I'm lucky, who knows what'll happen one day" Naruto mumbled out in a pained voice. It killed Kyuubi to hear that, but he had a point. If he left like their parents did, Naruto wouldn't have a shoulder to lean on anymore. He would be truly alone, absolutley isolated.

"It's not like Jiraya is taking care of us. If he did he would have done something by now." Kyuubi mumbled while feeling the blonde tense at the name. He never understood why, but Naruto developed a deep respect for a godfather that was never truly there to begin with. Instead, Jiraya entrusted Madara, a 'family friend' to take care of the two. That was just hell in itself. It was alcohol, drug abuse, violence, or if they were lucky; all three in a single night. Naruto had bruises to prove it, while Kyuubi had scars from either protecting Naruto, or being defiant. Jiraya did send support sometimes, Kyuubi had to give the guy that much at least. There were sometimes envelopes filled with money for them to survive on, but it would almost always be confiscated by Madara and be used to support his addictions.

Kyuubi wasn't that much older than Naruto, only by two years. This made him eighteen. It was enough to drive a car, but not enough to support a family. Kyuubi was limited by laws written on paper, if there weren't restrictions regarding working age and housing, he would have legally supported Naruto and they would have thrived by now. Money had to be earned to put food on Naruto's plate, so the only option he had left was doing not so legal jobs. It allowed him to feed both himself and Naruto, and afford a nice little car on the side. Just a few more months, and he could begin to consider renting an apartment for a bit before finding a more permanent and stable solution.

Kyuubi was brought back to reality when Naruto's warmth left his chest. He looked over at Naruto who was looking at the computer screen. Kyuubi noticed the fast keystrokes Naruto was producing and the variety of different facial expressions he had on his face. After a few seconds, he hurriedly began getting ready. "What's the rush?" Kyuubi asked confused.

"Sasuke wanted to meet up" Naruto hurriedly mumbled out as he struggled to wear one of Kyuubi's sweaters. He smirked at the sight but offered no help since that was a mutual brotherly understanding. Kyuubi smirked at the blonde's selection, the exact same apparel he wore yesterday, that would give that Sasuke kid a surprise. "Yo can you drop me off?" Naruto asked as he hopped on one foot trying to put on his socks. Kyuubi smirked."Go ahead, you can take the car yourself" Naruto stopped hopping and grinned like a mad man. "That's not saying that I'm letting you wreck her, treat her as you would treat a woman" Kyuubi shouted as Naruto ran out the room's door. "Or man, I saw you eyeing that Sasuke kid the other day." He playfully added, making Naruto blush and run out of the room in a hurried sprint. "YEAH YEAH I GOT IT" he heard from downstairs. Not even a denial, Kyuubi laughed.

Kyuubi smiled as he looked over at the computer, pleasantly surprised at the fact that Naruto forgot to log out. He waddled over to the computer lazily and read the messages between Sasuke and Naruto. It would have been wrong if he were doing this to anyone else, but considering their bond, Kyuubi could search all day, but he still wouldn't find a single fuck to give. Whether snooping around his brothers account was wrong or not, he was somewhat entitled to the right, so it didn't count.

He looked at the first few messages, smirking at the name calling and insults. Yeah that sure was Naruto alright; he looked at Sasuke's profile picture then at his name. _Sasuke Uchiha_. Kyuubi rubbed his defined chin with his right hand, gently rubbing against the small barely noticeable patch of hair. The name sounded familiar.

He read down further, taking second glances at some messages. The more he read, the tighter his grip on the mouse was and the more jagged his breaths became.

_Did the wounds heal?_

_Yeah but not completely_

_Are you alright?_

_Yeah, I suppose_

_Did they start bleeding again? I'm sorry about Sakura. If I had known, I would have stopped it_

_Don't worry about it _

_What's wrong with your brother?_

_What do you mean?_

_You looked really uncomfortable, is he the reason why you … uhm… cut?_

Kyuubi growled but didn't blame Sasuke for his accusation. It seemed logical, with the face Naruto was making yesterday; anyone with a stable mindset would be able to successfully conclude that he indeed was behind Naruto's pain. The fear of going home was strong in Naruto; Kyuubi had to deal with it every single day. Whether or not Madara was at home was always a guess. Whether they slept that night or argued and physically fought until daybreak was out of pure luck. The redhead gritted his teeth at the thought. He scrolled down further.

_No he isn't, I'll tell you more about it later I guess, I'm not comfortable with this on the web. Sometimes things should be said in person, this is one of those cases. But believe me, he's a good person._

Kyuubi smiled sadly, was he? He honestly didn't know, his actions were fueled by love for his brother. Family was all that mattered to him, if that made him a good person, so be it.

_Then I'm free, meet me in the next hour_

_Wait what?!_

_Dipshit we're texting, it's not like you couldn't hear me. Meet me in the next hour, you're lacking on schoolwork anyways. _

_Pfft, alright. I'll be there, I'll be walking so it might take a bit, and my brother might drop me off. _

_Remind me to hide_

_Pfft, see you. _

_Naruto_

_Yeah?_

_Please don't cut anymore, don't ask me why, but I care. _

Kyuubi logged out for Naruto as he sat there on the office chair. The soft hand stroking his cheek transformed into a tight hold on the back of his neck. This was really irritating him. _So Naruto started cutting again_. He groaned in frustration while grabbing his own hair painfully. He was partly the reason why Naruto had been facing these problems, the overwhelming sense of guilt overpowered him and before he knew it, He was punching the walls with rage, directed towards himself and Madara.

He made a hole in the drywall or of pure concentrated power, his knuckles were hits ensued, more holes were made. By the time he was finished, his knuckles were purple and there was a steady stream of blood gushing out of some of the cuts. The pain finally set in, and Kyuubi gritted his teeth. He was pissed off at Naruto for not notifying him, but he supposed that was only fair. Kyuubi didn't tell him what he was doing to make money, guess he didn't find the need to tell Kyuubi about his depression. He was breathing heavily, still under rage. He kicked the chair down as he began to go downstairs.

Each step he took down the stairs were loud, he couldn't help it. Once he was downstairs, he quickly rushed over to the window in the living room to see his car not in the driveway. He cursed, he was already gone. He just hoped that Sasuke wasn't a prick that would make the situation more dangerous than necessary. If Sasuke did fuck up to that caliber, Kyuubi would make sure the prick wouldn't see the light of day. He promised that much.


	4. Chapter 4

This update was a bit slow because of how busy I was due to vacation and stuff. It was a bit rushed too, so I apologize in advance.

Thank you to all my followers, it's been great help. And I'm seriously motivated. Reviews are always great, so comment/review :P

* * *

Sasuke sat there sitting on the hood of his car and was contemplating on what to say to Naruto when he arrived. He could have picked him up with his car, but the idea only registered after Naruto had logged off, which was a shame. He would have to walk to the park near Sasuke's home in the winter, he cursed his stupidity. Surely a friend would offer something as little as a ride, but was that what they were? Friends? Sasuke didn't think so, he's grown a liking to the blonde but they weren't necessarily friends, however his actions would gladly contradict that statement. He was confused; he hadn't had someone to call a friend for a long time, if ever. People wanted to socialize with him, but he downright refused, what was so different now?

Was Sasuke getting soft for his age already, or was the blonde just that strong? He proffered the latter. Sasuke didn't think too deeply about his mistake concerning Naruto, the temperature wasn't that cold, but the snow on the ground would surely make walking a challenge. He took a deep breath, watching the ghostly remnants due to the cold when he exhaled. Maybe it was just him who didn't mind the cold; Naruto did look like a summer type of person. He ran his fingers through his jet black hair and took out his wallet. He wasn't exactly sure why he wanted to meet up, besides the obvious fact regarding schoolwork. He turned his head to look at the driver's seat behind the window, surely enough a neat little binder had all of Naruto's missed work in it.

He started fiddling with the wallet he pulled out, while wondering what Naruto would be in the mood for. Any heavy meals were currently out of the option, the shops were probably closed and the ones that were open were high end restaurants a good distance away. Not exactly tuxedo and monocle material, but dress shirt and blazer type. They also had the option of going to Starbucks and getting some warm drinks, and honestly Sasuke wasn't in the mood for that. He figured he would ask Naruto and actually listen to him this time. He didn't mind spending money on a high end restauraunt for the blonde, oddly enough. He though about it more, and decided he would actually listen to Naruto's suggestion for once. The last time he asked, he ignored Naruto's ramen idea completely. Yeah he could be an asshole sometimes.

A loud purring engine hit his ears. Sasuke looked to his left to see a familiar red car enter the parking lot. _Oh fuck, fuck fuck fuck. _Sasuke tensed and was actually considering vaulting over and hiding in the driver's seat. Surely the redhead didn't know the model of his car, did he? Before Sasuke could think, the car pulled up right next to his in the empty parking lot. Sasuke swallowed hard as he waited. A few second later, the driver's door opened, and an arm came out and held the roof of the car for support. Sasuke tensed further when he saw the familiar grey crewneck. When the driver was fully standing, Sasuke let out a huge breath of relief when he saw a familiar blonde mess of hair with a goofy looking Naruto attached, who was apparently laughing at Sasuke's tension just moments ago.

He glared at Naruto while he made his way over to Sasuke, kicking close the driver's side door. Sasuke smirked when Naruto almost tripped due to the snow, and heard him growling something about bad weather and jeans getting wet. His smirk faded when Naruto was standing in front of him and his car. He didn't think of what to say. He cursed inwardly.

Sasuke looked at what Naruto was wearing, Kyuubi's crewneck and jeans. Sasuke glared at the sweater angrily. "Why would you wear that?" Sasuke asked with an irritated tone, making Naruto laugh. "Did he scare you that bad" Naruto said with a goofy smile. "Tch" was the response he gave.

Naruto walked away from his car and towards his own, Sasuke looked up fearing that he may have offended the blonde. To his relief, Naruto decided to sit on his own car's hood, just like Sasuke. They sat there in silence for a while, no awkwardness was present. It was peaceful, tranquil even. It must have been a few minutes after when Naruto spoke up. "He's a good person you know" he mumbled out.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "Kyuubi I mean, he's a good person" Sasuke turned around and let his legs dangle off the hood of his Mustang while he stared at Naruto. "So why did you look like so uncomfortable the other day?" he asked.

The blonde wasn't looking at him, but he still fidgeted under the gaze Sasuke had on him. "I-I, w-well, I mean it's not him I fear" Naruto mumbled out softly, Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him, which caused Naruto to look up at the skies. Sasuke did the same.

The sunlight was penetrating the endless amount of thick clouds, giving a soft yellow glow under the heavy silver clouds. Snowflakes started falling softly, without any form of rush. They danced with the soft wind, but fell gracefully. The entire world was under a lighy grey glow, it was gloomy and a bit chilly. Just the way Sasuke liked it. Naruto stuck out his tongue in attempts to catch a snowflake, Sasuke scoffed at the image but smiled afterwards.

Naruto stopped what he was doing and looked at the ground while dangling his legs off the hood. "I'm not really comfortable with that kind of stuff" Sasuke nodded softly, understanding well where Naruto was coming from. They sat for a while in silence until Sasuke eventually broke it.

"Where do you want to eat?" he asked, earning a surprised look from Naruto. "What's with you and food" he grumbled. "I eat a lot, and we're eating." Sasuke replied flatly, smirking at Naruto's mumbling. He knew Naruto was hungry just by the way he looked; his facial expressions gave it away. "You're not paying for me this time" Naruto grumbled out. "pfft, the last time was free remember? So technically, I still have to buy you lunch. A courtesy for friends" He said, surprising both himself and Naruto. He was wondering if he made a mistake but that thought died out the instant Naruto's warm grin hit his eyes. For fucks sake, Sasuke felt so weak when he saw that happy look. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. Naruto genuinely looked happy for once in their time of knowing each other.

Naruto wordlessly got off of the red car and began to walk to the driver's seat. Before entering however, he looked up at Sasuke. "so the way you check me out is friendly? That's something new" He said as he laughed at Sasuke's indignant growls of embarrassment.

Naruto rolled down his windows and looked at Sasuke who still had a blush on his cheeks. "How far is your home?" Naruto asked as he started the engine effortlessly. Sasuke looked thoughtful, "not far" was the response he gave. "Do you mind if you leave your car here for now?" Naruto asked to which Sasuke was confused but shook his head regardless. "Good, hop in" Naruto said as he leaned over to the passenger's side and opened the door for him.

Sasuke looked surprised and immediately crossed his arms in denial. "That's your brother's car, if I breathe on it, let alone sit in it, just think. Nope, no thanks." Sasuke began to walk away but was grabbed from behind and shoved into the car. Naruto closed the door and accelerated out of the parking lot.

Sasuke glared at him while Naruto grinned. They were going pretty fast, so jumping out of the car wasn't an option. Sasuke looked at the rear view mirror above to see his car in the distance fade away completely. Sasuke suddenly realized whose car he was in and tensed immediately. He visualized the glare he received the other day and began to glare at Naruto who was currently fiddling with some loose papers as he swerved dangerously.

"LOOK AT THE FUCKING ROAD FOR GOD'S SAKE" Sasuke screamed as he took control of the steering wheel, successfully preventing them from crashing into a tree. Naruto looked cheekily at him and pulled out some type of card. Sasuke looked at him in question as he let go of the steering wheel and took the item in Naruto's hand. He stared at crimson eyes and realized this was Kyuubi's driver's license. He even looked intimidating in his driver's license for fucks sake.

"How does he look?" Naruto asked with a chuckle. "Marvelous" Sasuke mumbled out as he put the identification in the glove department. The scent of leather and smoke was evident in the car. "Does Kyuubi smoke?" Sasuke asked. "Nah, but he has friends who do" Naruto said casually, Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Usually they hang out in the car, so Kyuubi buys a few packs beforehand. Some guy named Asuma prefers these." Naruto said as he threw a box of cigarettes out from seemingly nowhere and threw it over at Sasuke. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Naruto noticed this but kept his eyes on the road. "Asuma is Kyuubi's therapist; he's got anger issues and shit." Naruto said. He laughed at Sasuke's reaction, he was tense all over. "You probably shouldn't piss him off" Naruto teased, causing Sasuke to glare at him.

"What's a therapist doing recommending these? You know they're unhealthy right?" Sasuke asked as he examined the label. Marlboro was written intricately in gold text while the box itself was matte black. The familiar triangle design on the box was gold as well. He opened it to see the cigarettes were the same color scheme, black and gold. Now that he noticed, the box felt considerably heavier than the average boxes. "Naruto, what's up with these?" Sasuke asked as he examined the box further. There was no usual lung cancer warning on the cover.

"These are the VIP ones or something, don't know where but Asuma got him" the blonde said as he started the windshield wipers. Sasuke looked infront of him to see the snow has increased a bit, to the point where it would make driving a bit of a hassle. He could still feel the box of cigarettes in his hands. He was tempted.

"Would he mind if I took one of these?" Sasuke asked Naruto boldly, causing the blonde to look at him in surprise. "You smoke?" He couldn't help but ask. Sasuke smirked at that. "No, but I'm willing to give it a try, these look special" He responded while examining the box further.

Naruto looked at him skeptically. "No he wouldn't mind, but that doesn't mean I won't" Naruto mumbled, earning a questionable look from Sasuke. Naruto remained silent for a while. "I don't have a problem with it, but just don't make it into a habit. I heard these things get addicting real quick" Naruto mumbled out. Sasuke smiled at that. "Oh is someone worried about my wellbeing?" He teased.

Naruto just scoffed and threw him a lighter from the dashboard. Sasuke took one of the cigarettes out of the box, and put it in his mouth. Naruto opened the Zippo lighters lid and began to light Sasuke's cigarette, while skillfully keeping his attention on the road. Naruto looked over and began laughing at the face Sasuke made.

"These are flavored?" Sasuke asked as he took another swig. Naruto had to laugh at the sight. Sasuke glared at him. "What?" He asked as he removed the cigarette from of his mouth. "You look so feminine when you smoke" Naruto said.

Sasuke growled and rolled down the window to throw the rest of it out. He hated the flavor, and it was too potent in general. "What, you don't like mango?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shook his head, "hate it honestly" he stated. He tossed back the box and looked out the passenger window.

Trees where zooming past him, and he didn't recognize the neighborhood. "Where are we going exactly?" He asked. Naruto only grinned at that, Sasuke suddenly felt uneasy. "You're not taking me to meet Kyuubi are you?" Sasuke asked skeptically, this caused Naruto to widen his eyes. There was a few moments of silence. "That could have been a good idea" he said more to himself rather than Sasuke. He grumbled a bit causing Sasuke to sigh in relief. So he wasn't going to see Kyuubi.

"Seriously dipshit, where we headed?" He asked the second time. Naruto chuckled synically. "Do you hate Ramen?"

"Yes" was the flat response. Sasuke rolled down the windows, the smell of smoke and leather was irritating him now.

"Good, that'll make it all the more interesting" Sasuke glared at him for that. "I'm not putting that in my mouth" Sasule growled out.

"Yeah you are"

"No I'm not!"

"Yeah you are, try it!"

"I refuse to"

"I'll shove it down your throat and make sure you enjoy every drop of it"

"I'll gag"

"No you're not I'm going to make you beg for more!" The blonde yelled out playfully in a defiant manner.

Sasuke looked to his right just then to see a woman covering a young boy's ears as she glared at the two in a disgusted manner. "Oh for fucks sake" Sasuke grumbled out, while rolling up the window. Naruto was choking on his own laughter.

"Guess that did sound kind of sexual, didn't it?" he added between his chokes of laughter. "You think?" Sasuke growled out. The car was stopped at a red light, and the lady was far gone by now. Naruto had to calm down for a bit to regulate his breathing again. He noticed the raven haired teen's face. "Oi Sasuke, you're cute when you blush you know" Naruto teased. "Oh fuck you" Sasuke growled out as he hid his face from Naruto. The blonde couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh don't be like that, let me see" Naruto said as he took a hold of Sasuke's chin and pulled it towards him. He looked at Sasuke's chin, then slowly moved up to his lips. He then looked at his eyes. At that moment, blue met onyx. Naruto noticed exactly how flawless and pale Sasuke's skin was. He noticed the smallest details. The way Sasuke's blush reached further down his features, the way his lips twitched, the way his breath hitched for just a moment. In blatant terms, the teen infront of him, sitting in the passenger seat, he was beautiful. Flawless even.

They were interrupted by an obnoxious horn somewhere behind them. Naruto cursed inwardly when Sasuke noticed his blush.

Sasuke immediatley leaned towards his window in a flustered manner. Naruto focused on his driving immediately afterwards. Both had tints of red occupying their cheeks. The car behind them zoomed passed them, that was when Naruto realized it was a green light. Hesitantly he stepped on the gas and drove onwards.

Sasuke was flustered, as was Naruto. The raven haired male couldn't even think straight at that moment.

* * *

They arrived at the restaurant just a few moments ago. The drive gradually had gotten casual, and within a few minutes, they had returned to their bickering selves. Naruto was holding the door open for Sasuke when he skeptically walked in. The raven haired male looked around the restaurant, it had seemed friendly enough. The atmosphere wasn't exactly that bad.

The only thing that ticked him off was the orange. There was way too much fucking orange. The place was pretty large, around equal size if not a bit bigger than Sasuke's favorite Chinese/Indian restaurant. There were black wooden tables, and the counter was finished in brushed carbon black steel. The panels on almost everything in the restaurant were orange. The signs, the menus, the chair cushions, what more was there to color? He thanked whoever was taking care of him up there that the lights weren't orange either, that would have surely led to a bad migraine. He sighed softly when he looked at Naruto's overly ecstatic expression. _The kid always did have a soft spot for food._

He took small steps towards the blonde who was chatting effortlessly with a middle aged man wearing an orange apron. When he stepped closer, Naruto looked at him with a smile on his face, causing Sasuke to lose his train of thought. "This here is Sasuke, the guy I told you about" he said.

"My my, isn't he just a doll" the old man teased. Naruto laughed but Sasuke just looked at the ground flushed. He wasn't a woman for god's sake. Still, not wanting to be disrespectful, he didn't say anything. He only waved politely, but the blush on his cheeks refused to die down. What was with him today?

"Sasuke go sit over there, I'll order" The blonde chirped happily. Sasuke nodded and began to walk towards a random seat near the window.

* * *

Kyuubi was sitting in the car casually. This morning's frustration was still evident in his system, for he was clutching the dashboard harder than normal, and that _wasn't_ because of Deidara's driving for once. Kyuubi's rage had transformed into sadness, he wasn't nearly as enraged anymore, he only felt depressed. However, Naruto seemed pretty happy this morning, so he didn't need to worry, did he?

Kyuubi noticed the look Deidara was giving him in the rear view mirror. It held concern, worry and guilt for his long time friend. Deidara had been with Kyuubi ever since he could remember, and had taken care of Naruto many times, more than he can count honestly. Whenever the chips were down, Deidara had helped without expecting anything in return, and for that, he was grateful. So he couldn't just let his friend worry like this.

They were sitting outside Deidara's home with the heater on in the car. The blonde was sitting in the driver's seat while Kyuubi was sitting comfortably with his feet up at the back with his back leaning against the car door. Kyuubi was currently listening to 'Two Steps from Hell', Deidara's favorite.

"It's nothing" Kyuubi's deep voice growled out a bit harsher than he intended, the deep music didn't really drown out his voice like he had hoped. He inwardly winced when Deidara's eyes softened. It took a few moments before Kyuubi found his voice again.

"I'm sorry" he mumbled out softly. The redhead noticed his long time friend give a sideways glance at him from the driver's seat. "Don't worry about it" the ponytailed man mumbled out. Kyuubi nodded hesitantly. "It's just that, I haven't seen you like this in a while" Deidara added, making sure to carefully analyze Kyuubi's face. There was deep worry under the crimson eyes of Kyuubi.

Deidara had noticed it, the way Kyuubi' was slouching, how tense his muscles where. He could practically feel the flexing of the redhead's muscles all the way from the driver's seat. It was painful for him to see Kyuubi like this.

"That's exactly it." Kyuubi growled out. The blonde's eyes widened at that. "Naruto? He's –"

"Yeah" the redhead cut in, gripping his red hair tight. Deidara's worry only increased two fold at this. "How was he this morning?" he asked softly.

It took a while before he replied.

"He was happy, because he was meeting up with his friend or whatever."

"Friend you say, kid finally blended in?" Deidara asked in surprise. "Apparently, but I'm still skeptic." Kyuubi growled out. Deidara nodded in understanding. It wasn't normal for someone who's been hated for so long to suddenly find a friend out of the blue, in a week's time no less. Maybe it was just them over thinking, but both Deidara and Kyuubi had heard about Naruto's current reputation at school from Tsunade herself. The bond between Kyuubi and Tsunade was strong. Tsunade was the reason why Naruto transferred to begin with. They hoped he would start off fresh, but that hope died out when Tsunade gave Kyuubi the sad news about Naruto being a social outcast.

'That's odd, he's not used to socializing" Deidara mumbled out.

"My thoughts exactly" Kyuubi grunted. "Kids got a phone on him doesn't he?" Deidara asked. "Yeah, he always takes it around but he never uses it" Kyuubi growled out. "Pfft, what's the point in that then, whatever just try calling him anyways." Deidara stated.

Kyuubi nodded and pulled out his cell phone. He held the 'N' button to speed dial Naruto. It took a few rings but Naruto picked up. Kyuubi immediately put the phone on speaker so that Deidara could listen in as well.

"Hello?"

"Naruto."

"Oh hey Kyuubi, sup?"

"Where are you right now?"

"With Sasuke at Ichiraku's, why?"

Deidara gave some hand signals, which Kyuubi couldn't understand for shit. He blocked off the microphone with his hand. "What the fuck are you saying?!"

"Tell him you're going to be home late or some shit, I don't know!"

Kyuubi released his hand. "Yeah Naruto, listen me and Deidara are hanging out, so call me when you want me to pick you and your little boyfriend up"

"He's not my boyfriend asshole! "

Deidara couldn't help but chuckle at that, a smile hit Kyuubi's face. He could practically hear that kids blush all the way from here.

"And besides, you gave me the car. Remember?"

Kyuubi cursed his stupidity. He blocked off the phone. "Now what genius?" He growled out. The blonde sat there in the car with a thoughtful look. After taking a few moments too long, Kyuubi growled in frustration. "Right, never mind then. Catch you later Naruto" Kyuubi said quickly before hanging up.

Kyuubi glared at Deidara who was looking sheepish. 'Well shit, at least we know where he is right?" Kyuubi threw his shoe at him. "Just start the damn car" Kyuubi growled out.

* * *

They were in the middle of their meal, and Sasuke had to admit. It wasn't all that bad. It did a serious blow to his pride to admit that, but hell. It wasn't that bad. Not bad at all really. The flavor in it was superb, he thought it would be some crappy instant noodle package.

"Wasn't exactly what you were expecting was it?" Naruto said cheekily while swallowing a spoonful of Ramen. Sasuke only hummed in response, he was too buy enjoying his food. The raven haired male couldn't help but wonder how they had gotten in such a situation. Just a few days ago, Naruto was a complete stranger. Now they were eating together, and facing intimate moments together.

Sasuke nearly choked on his food when he remembered the scene. The image was practically burned into his mind. The way the blonde's face had looked, the grip on his jaw line from the blonde, it had seemed surreal. Hell, Sasuke didn't even know why he was thinking like that. It was probably this Ramen, yeah that's it. It was probably injected with sedatives or something, but hell was it good.

"Who was that on the phone?" Sasuke asked him casually. The blonde grinned at this, causing Sasuke to raise an eyebrow. "Kyuubi" Naruto replied casually. "Oh? What did he want?"

"Meh, he was just asking where I was and if I needed a ride" Naruto mumbled out thoughtfully. "But don't you have his car?"

"Exactly, I told him that and he just said he had to go"

Sasuke felt uneasy with that, but decided to leave the subject alone, he was probably overreacting.

* * *

They were lucky that Deidara's was so close to Ichiraku. It took only a few minutes to reach the familiar parking lot. Kyuubi should have guessed that his younger brother would have been at Ichiraku's. The car was right next to the entrance, and Kyuubi could immediately identify Naruto and some black haired kid sitting across from him.

"What are you planning to do?" Deidara asked with a smirk. "Watch and learn" was the response he got. Kyuubi then opened the car door and jumped out, running towards the entrance. "Always making an entrance" Deidara mumbled to himself with a grin as he shifted the gears to the park position.

Naruto was sitting across from Sasuke, so he had a view on the entrance while Sasuke had the view towards the wall. When Naruto noticed Kyuubi opening the door silently, he had to hide his grin in the bowl of Ramen he was eating.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked worried. Naruto had to hold in the giggles that were threatening to escape his lips. Naruto looked up to see Kyuubi sneaking right behind Sasuke.

Kyuubi immediately slammed his fists at the table and yelled out something along the lines of "HOWS IT GOING". Sasuke quite literally was about to piss himself, he had almost literally jumped out of his skin. Sasuke looked up in horror as he saw the almost demonic grin of Kyuubi. The crimson eyes of his were making him squirm in his seat. He couldn't find his voice, it had disappeared to god knows where entirely.

Kyuubi turned his head towards Naruto and smiled at him to which the blonde smiled back. "Sasuke was it?" Kyuubi growled out in an intimidating fashioned while he glared at the raven haired male. Sasuke couldn't respond, he was still squirming under his seat and sweating all over.

Kyuubi suddenly jolted towards Sasuke, making him flinch. Kyuubi and Naruto laughed while Sasuke just glared at them both. Kyuubi sat down next to them both, causing Sasuke to tense even more. The redhead put a hand around Sasuke's shoulders, and Naruto could have sworn Sasuke was about to pass out.

Naruto had the strongest willpower at that moment because he didn't break down in laughter. "Sasuke, how are you?" Kyuubi sing songed. Sasuke said nothing because he honestly couldn't he felt like there was something stuck deep inside his throat.

Hell Sasuke could feel the developed muscles in Kyuubi's arms from here. Everything about this guy was giving off a "fuck with me and I'll skin you with a spoon" aurora. Sasuke looked at Naruto in an almost begging manner. No, scratch that, not almost begging, he was quite literally begging Naruto at this point. Naruto just sat there with a grin on his face, trying his best not to laugh.

The old man called over Naruto from the other side of the room, which he happily got up and waddled over towards. _No fuck, traitor!_ Kyuubi's grip on Sasuke's shoulder tightened considerably. Sasuke swallowed hard. He dared himself to turn his head slightly, which he did, only to regret that decision almost immediately. Crimson eyes were staring at him; the playful manner had now turned cold.

"Listen, Sasuke. I have no doubts that you're a bad guy. Just do not, fuck with my brother. Because when you do, oh god forbid when you do. I'll make sure I personally rip those black eyes of yours out of those sockets and feed them to you raw." Kyuubi growled out silently. The grip on Sasuke's shoulders was incredibly tight at this point.

Sasuke sat there frozen as he was processing Kyuubi's words. The grip tightened even more, making Sasuke look at the crimson eyes that were only a few inches away. "And does it look like I'm the type of guy capable of that?" Kyuubi gritted out.

Sasuke hesitantly nodded. "Thatta boy" Kyuubi said with a genuine goofy attitude. Naruto was still at the counter talking to the old man. He had a grin on his face as did the old man. Sasuke tensed under the gaze Kyuubi gave.

All hostility was now gone, Sasuke sat there dumbfounded at the sudden mood change. This guy's just like Naruto, except with a more dangerous attitude.

"What's your last name again kid?" Kyuubi asked.

Sasuke gulped.

"U-Uchiha"

Kyuubi leaned back on his chair, in thought. "You know that name sounds familiar" Sasuke only nodded dumbly at his response, earning a chuckle from Kyuubi. Just then Sasuke heard a vibration coming from the redhead's jacket.

Kyuubi leaned back further and started pulling out his phone. Sasuke watched as Kyuubi began unlocking the Blackberry. A few moments had passed, and Sasuke didn't fail to notice Kyuubi's facial expressions. The dark look on his face unnerved Sasuke. He assumed he was reading a text message.

"Naruto!" Kyuubi growled out, causing Sasuke to flinch.

"Yeah?" Naruto mumbled as he walked over to Kyuubi. "Uhm, Well … Madara, he's home."Kyuubi said softly, causing Naruto to tense. Sasuke looked at the two in question. Kyuubi had a dark look on his face while Naruto looked blank. Sasuke hated that look; he hated it to the very bone. Was this the reason why Naruto was so sad the other day? Kyuubi didn't seem to be the problem, not by a long shot.

"And Deidara. He's going out for a few days. His place isn't an option" Kyuubi said to Naruto, whose facial expressions saddened even further. The fear under Naruto's eyes were practically screaming at Sasuke.

Without thought, Sasuke opened his mouth.

"You can stay over at my place"

Naruto looked at Sasuke in shock while Kyuubi said nothing but the look of surprise and confusion was written all over his face. "Sa-Sasuke are you sure?" Naruto softly whispered out.

"Yeah, after all that's what friends are for right?" Sasuke said as he offered a weak smile.

Naruto nodded weakly, while Kyuubi stared at Sasuke. "Are you sure?" was the question the redhead asked.

Sasuke nodded his head, "definitely."


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note: Yo, just a quick update. I might just merge the chapter after with this one so that it becomes one big chapter. I noticed that they tend to get a bit small, although it's like six pages on Microsoft Word. I'm not exactly sure how many words a standard chapter is, I'd appreciate it if someone sends me a message or something concerning that issue.

Anyways, here's the chapter. Small but important. Thanks to those who followed, faced and reviewed/commented. Motivation is always key.

* * *

He awoke softly to the scent of cinnamon and mint. It wasn't particularly dreadful, but it was just an odd combination. He scrunched his nose in response and rolled over to his opposite side while clutching the pillow below his arm. He grumbled incoherently as he tried drifting off to sleep again, but the light was interfering. Growling, he raised his hand and threw it over to where his window would usually be, only to smash his fist into the wall.

"Gah fuck" He growled out as he began searching for the curtains. He gave up after a few aimless tries, might as well get up. He tried opening his eyes, but they were particularly sensitive to the morning sunlight and offending scent of cinnamon and mint. He sat up slowly, leaning on one hand while rubbing his eyes with the other. It took a few minutes, but when he saw a glimpse of the room he shot awake immediately.

Blue. _Tons of fucking blue_. He put his feet near the edge of the bed and began rubbing his eyes a bit more. He could vaguely hear chatter from outside the hallways, some hushed whispering and the creaking of some steps. He got up and stood compltley, finally letting his brain and common sense grasp the situation.

He was in a room that wasn't his. Well that's a start. He looked around, seeing the flat screen television mounted on the wall almost immediately. It wasn't abnormally large, but a nice little 32 inch from what he could tell for personal use. There were some posters containing either musical artists on them or athletic brands. He waddled forward a bit when he noticed the wardrobe. The intricate grey wood and brushed aluminum alloy looked pleasant. The vast array of cologne was the first thing he noticed besides the wardrobe itself.

This piqued his interests. He lazily waddled over to the wardrobe, taking note of the collection. There were brands like Lacoste, Adidas, Hugo Boss, and Versace. Not a single knock off or cheap product in sight. _Ballin' hard._

He looked at the mirror that was attached to the wardrobe. His messy red hair was all over the place. His red eyes seemed hazed, just like every other morning. He noticed a picture frame to his right. Slowly he picked it up, not wanting to damage it. It seemed unstable already.

The first thing that stood out the most was the black eyes. Then the duck butt hair, then the porcelain skin that would have surely been the result of unique genetics or years without sunlight. He snapped his head up in realization; he was at that Sasuke kid's house. How could he forget?

He made his way over to the door and opened it slightly. He peeked his head out to see nobody was upstairs. He slowly pushed open the door completely as he walked down the small corridor. There were a few doors on either side, and some picture frames. Oddly enough however, they were incredibly dusty. _Well shit, all of them were_. Kyuubi stood on his toes as he examined one of them, the layers of dust must have accumulated over a long period of time, he couldn't even tell who was in the picture. Judging by the pairs of feet however, it seemed like a family picture.

He ignored it, not wanting to get his hands covered in dust. He made his way down the stairs slowly. What had happened last night? He must have slept like a log; he didn't remember a damn thing. He groaned inwardly as he walked down the steps.

The living room slowly came into view. The modern looking living room was surprising. It looked nice, and was well planned out. He walked down the last set of steps as he began walking towards one of the black sofas. The mixture of white and red walls looked nice. There was brushed metal décor around. The television was fairly large, and was mounted on the wall, much like the room Kyuubi was in before. Except this time, the television was almost twice as big. There was a loveseat that matched the low design of all the other chairs of the room. There was a book case and some shelves that held either pictures or miscellaneous décor. All of it was brushed aluminum, giving the place a really sophisiticated modern look.

Not really knowing what to do, he began walking aimlessly through the house. There was an archway, which Kyuubi decided to take. As he walked under it, he noticed that he had just walked into the kitchen. There was a long set of marble counters going vertically in the center, with open space on either side. There were kitchen appliances on the left attached to the wall, and empty counters on the right. He walked forward and rested a hand along the marble counter in the middle and looked around. He found another archway right next to him, and walked into the dining room.

"Fucking house" he mumbled under his breath as he sat down on one of the black dining chairs. He had the strongest urge to put his feet up, but he wasn't a complete asshole. Well maybe he was. He knew he had power in his home and outside, but under someone else's roof, he wanted to be civilized, so he decided against it.

He heard laughter coming from the kitchen. He lifted his head and gazed over at the small viewing window like design that connected the kitchen with the dining room. There was Sasuke with a few pans of some sorts with a goofy looking Naruto right behind him. Kyuubi could practically feel the energy he was radiating. Either it was from a goodnight's sleep or something else. Whatever it was, it made Kyuubi smile. It was nice seeing his brother like this.

He didn't want to ruin Naruto and Sasuke's little date or whatever they were doing with the whole cutting issue yesterday, but Kyuubi supposed he needed to confront him sooner or later. Still though, the look Naruto had on his face while he was being chased by Sasuke was pleasant. He looked happy. He didn't want to spoil it just yet.

Naruto ran into the dining room, finally noticing Kyuubi. He had a shocked look on his face but then smiled. Sasuke ran in as well, armed with a frying pan. He skid to a halt when he noticed the red head. Kyuubi smiled at both of them, earning a grin from Naruto and a respectful nod from Sasuke. Whatever fear that invaded Sasuke's system yesterday was now gone. Kyuubi was kind of disappointed with that, it was fun messing with people. Then again, it was nice to see Sasuke opening up to Kyuubi. This kid didn't pose as a threat, hell it was the opposite. The smile Naruto was practically blinding Kyuubi with was as genuine as it gets. Still, if Sasuke ever gave Naruto a reason to frown, his lowered guard would change instantly.

For now, it was best to just let things take its natural course. If Naruto trusted Sasuke, then Kyuubi would too. It's not every day someone invites a classmate and a complete stranger into their own household for the sake of some prank. _Nah that's pushing it_. Sasuke was safe, for now anyways.

"What do you want for breakfast Kyuubi?" Naruto asked happily. Kyuubi looked over at Sasuke who was looking at him with the same look. "What do you kids want?" was the counter he used.

"I was in the mood for some bacon" Naruto mumbled out as he scratched the back of his head. Kyuubi looked over at Sasuke for confirmation, when the raven haired teen nodded, he smirked. "Bacon it is then, make mine well done." Kyuubi said.

Both of them disappeared in the kitchen. He leaned back on the wooden chair as he started looking at the small chandelier above. The intricate crystal design was flashing a spectrum of lights due to the early morning glow from the windows. He noticed Sasuke come back and stand below the archway. Kyuubi raised an eyebrow at him. "You can put your feet up if you like" Sasuke mumbled out quietly.

He smirked at that. "Thanks kid" was the response he gave, earning a nod from Sasuke. Both of his legs were up in an instant. He sighed in content as he stretched his calves on the wooden surface of the table. He wiggled his toes as well, which were hidden underneath his white socks. Sasuke and Naruto came back wearing aprons and began setting up the dining table for breakfast.

Kyuubi sat there with his legs up and looked at them with amusement. Naruto was currently placing a pitcher full of ice cold orange juice while Sasuke started placing the plates. "You know, you two look like a couple from this angle" Kyuubi playfully teased as he made a rectangle with his fingers and aimed it at them, further emphasizing his point. He peered through, noticing the vivid blush on Naruto's cheeks as he focused on pouring the orange juice and Sasuke who was currently speed walking to the kitchen trying to hide his face.

He smirked at their reactions. Oh this was going to be fun.

It took a few minutes but breakfast was finally ready. At that point, Kyuubi finally understood exactly how hungry he was when he looked at the array of food. There was a bowl full of freshly cooked well done bacon, a plate stacked with omelets, a bowl full of fresh fruit, a plate stacked with buttered toast, and a few glass jars of jam. Indeed, he was starving.

The early morning sunlight was nice. It was great to eat with his brother for once, and his boyfriend. Was he his boyfriend?

"Yo you two like dating, or fuckbuddies or what?" Kyuubi asked curiously. Naruto almost spilled his glass of orange juice while Sasuke choked hard on his toast. They both looked at each other then at Kyuubi, who was trying his best not to burst into laughter. "We're friends" Sasuke and Naruto replied in complete synch. They both looked each other and smiled softly.

"That's the type of shit that makes me think my brother's gay for you, you know" Kyuubi said in a matter of fact way while putting a forkful of bacon in his mouth. Sasuke looked down at the table embarrassed as Naruto glared at Kyuubi. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his throat. "Naw I'm just teasing, so how long you two known each other for?" Kyuubi asked as he began munching on buttered toast.

"Truthfully speaking, we've only really started bonding two or so days ago." Sasuke said casually, earning a nod from Naruto. Kyuubi grunted in understanding. "So how's school?" Kyuubi asked curious. Naruto looked thoughtful while Sasuke peeked over at Naruto with a worried look. Of course, he knew the answer because of Tsunade herself, but he wanted to hear his brother's answer.

"The usual I guess" Naruto mumbled out. Sasuke looked at his plate full of thought while Kyuubi just grunted in understanding. "There's this one chick in particular though" Naruto added thoughtfully, making Kyuubi's ears to perk up. "Oh?" He asked amused. "You into her?" he added.

Naruto shook his head in vigor while Sasuke had a look of realization. "She has pink hair for fucks sake" Naruto mumbled out, earning laughter to escape from Sasuke. "Her?" He asked in surprise. Kyuubi was interested. "What in fucks name are you two blabbing about" Kyuubi grumbled.

"There's this chick from our class, a total psychopath" Sasuke said flatly, earning vicious nods from Naruto. "She talks shit about everybody and everything" Naruto practically yelled out. "Not to mention she's a complete whore" Sasuke mumbled out, earning a chuckle from Kyuubi.

"On the 'whore' scale where would she be placed, from one to ten?" Kyuubi asked. "tch, eleven" Sasuke mumbled out, earning laughter from Kyuubi. "She can't be that bad." Kyuubi mumbled out, earning looks from both Sasuke and Naruto. "What?"

Sasuke put his hands deep in his pockets as he searched for his mobile device. He pulled out a Samsung Galaxy S3 within a few moments. "Nice phone" was the remark that came from Kyuubi.. Sasuke nodded as he began swiping his fingers to do something or the other. Naruto looked at him in question while Kyuubi took a spoonful of jam and experimented with his food.

"There was this photo on her Facebook, once I find it, you look me in the eye and tell me it isn't slutty." Sasuke said as he focused. "Oh this is going to be good" Kyuubi smirked as he saw Naruto's anticipated face. _I mean come on, ass is ass_. A few scandalous Facebook photo's won't hurt.

"There found it, it was at a slee- "Sasuke cut his sentence off midway. After a few moments of solid silence, the redhead looked up to see both Naruto and Sasuke looking at him weirdly. "What?"

"Did you just smother your bacon in raspberry jam?" Naruto asked while Sasuke was eyeing the offending food item. "Well why the fuck not" mumbled Kyuubi as he munched on his creation. Sasuke shook his head and turned over his phone so that both of the brothers could see.

The picture left Naruto wide eyed and made Kyuubi give a weak whistle. "She posted that?!" Naruto practically screamed. "Yup" was the flat response Naruto got. Kyuubi looked at the photo.

A pink haired girl was sitting on someone's lap, wearing something that barely resembled pants, it exposed way too much. She was cupping her almost nonexistent breasts, completely topless while having white smears all over her face. Any male could put two and two together and figure out what that was. Her mouth was open, seemingly full of it.

Kyuubi looked over at Naruto who was still gawking. "She posted this on Facebook?" Kyuubi asked curiously. Sasuke put his phone back in his pocket, seemingly snapping Naruto out of his trance. "Yeah, she did. It was public at first, but then she made it to only friends of friends could see it." Sasuke said flatly.

"That's basically the same thing as keeping it public." Kyuubi mumbled. "Yeah but it might get removed by someone if they report it." Sasuke added.

"You mean she's actually fighting to keep it up?" Kyuubi asked. Sasuke nodded at that. _That's a grade A whore. _"What a whore" Kyuubi snorted, earning another nod from Sasuke.

"Why isn't she being labeled as such then?" Naruto asked curiously, a bit peeved. "Well you can only do so many people at one time. She's gotten a positive reputation with the guys like that." Sasuke mumbled out. Kyuubi nodded in understanding.

"Popularity through scandalous action." Kyuubi muttered out. "Exactly"

Sasuke looked over at Naruto who was currently eating his food. "Yo dipshit, give me your Facebook name" Sasuke mumbled out, earning a laugh from Kyuubi, Naruto looked over at Sasuke. "Sure, just don't like, y-know" Naruto muttered out as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't what?"

"Just like keep it low, nobody knows I have Facebook besides like Kyuubi and Tsunade." Naruto mumbled out, earning a surprised look from Sasuke. "Tsunade? As in Tsunade Senju?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, her and Kyuubi go back. I don't know how, but they're the ones that made me transfer in the first place" Naruto mumbled out. Sasuke looked over at Kyuubi was now smirking and nodding. "Don't worry" the raven haired teen reassured. The blonde nodded.

"It's Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki" Naruto said. Sasuke nodded and began fiddling with his phone to find his profile. Sasuke looked up at Kyuubi with hesitation. Kyuubi smirked at that. "Kyuubi Kurama" the redhead said, earning a nod from Sasuke.

Within a few moments, Sasuke put his phone back in his pocket and nodded, "Done, I added the both of you."

Kyuubi got up just then. "Sasuke, I appreciate the hospitality, but Naruto and I should get going." Kyuubi said as began pushing in his chair. Sasuke looked over at Naruto who had a fearful look on his face. Kyuuubi sighed; he didn't have to look at Naruto's face to see his reaction.

"It's not a problem Kyuubi" Sasuke said respectfully. Kyuubi smirked at that. "That's the first time you called me by my name kid" the redhead said. Sasuke nodded hesitantly, realizing that the redhead was right. "Still though, we're not the type to overstay our welcome"

"You're not"

"It doesn't matter; we're not here to bug you."

"You're not bugging me"

"Doubt it"

"You're not bugging me, believe me I'm a nice guy"

Naruto coughed at that, Sasuke glared at him. Kyuubi smirked at the sight. He thought for a bit. There was no reason for Sasuke to behave like this, he showing great hospitality. Kyuubi sighed.

"Just, spend the day here and make a decision later?" Sasuke asked hopefully. Kyuubi looked at his younger brother who had puppy dog eyes directed towards him. Kyuubi growled.

"Aren't we bugging your family?" Kyuubi asked.

The moment there was silence; he knew he hit a soft spot. Kyuubi looked at Sasuke to see the sad expression on his face; the raven haired male was attempting to hide it well, but was failing.

"We'll hang out then I guess" Kyuubi said, making Sasuke and Naruto look up in surprise. "What day is it even?" The redhead asked absently. Naruto scoffed. "It's Saturday Kyuubi, hence why we're not at school" Naruto mumbled out, earning a nod from Sasuke.

"Riggghttt" The redhead shifted his weight on one food. "We'll stay over for the weekend, ONLY if that's fine with you." Kyuubi said. Sasuke nodded. "No problem at all."

"Come on then, let's hang out or some shit." Kyuubi mumbled out but smiled at the two's reaction. "Sasuke is it cool if I use your shower?" the blonde asked. He nodded in response. "Third door to your right upstairs" Naruto nodded and jogged out of the dining room.

Sasuke was about to leave as well when Kyuubi softly grabbed his shoulder. He turned around and looked at Kyuubi in confusion. "L-listen. It's not much…"

Sasuke was confused. He looked down to see a group of hundred dollar bills in Kyuubi's hands. "W-what? I'm not accepting this." Sasuke said as he pushed the money away. "I invited you two over as friends, you're not going to pay me for anything" Sasuke said with a stern voice. "Just take it for your troubles, it's a hassle. We eat a lot" Kyuubi tried reasoning. Sasuke would have none of that. He shook his head. "I'm not accepting that." Sasuke said stubbornly.

"You're one stubborn kid you know that?" Kyuubi asked while smirking.

Sasuke nodded but smirked back.


	6. Chapter 6

Authors Note: It's been a while since I last updated, but that probably isn't a big deal. I hope. Anyways, it's been due to vacation stuff and getting prepared for school again, so now i'm back home and ready to do whatever. So here is the small chapter in hopes of compensation. Enjoy broski's.

* * *

The serene shine of neon lighting and the smell of expensive alcohol mixed in with cheap perfume always made him content, the heart stopping bass on expensive speakers were also made him happy except he couldn't say much for his partner next to him though. In fact nobody in the round table had the slightest feeling of contentment that Kakashi was feeling. Some of them were interested, but other than that, nobody really enjoyed the partying life as much as he did, which was a shame really.

The caramel colored man across from him was staring at the table awkwardly. He was even twiddling his thumbs like some type of machine that had gone haywire moments back, at the rate they were going, hell Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if they broke off. He examined the occupants that surrounded the medium sized club table carefully.

The man he was most familiar and comfortable with was the side burned, cigarette smoking, cool tempered investigator and veteran under the name of Asuma Sarutobi. He was his partner after all in the world of police work, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone how well they connected in terms of work. His cigarette in his mouth usually meant he was stressed out, except Kakashi could tell he was enjoying the night so far. Hell who wouldn't? Exotic dancers and alcohol was always a winning combination, a great excuse to get shit faced the next morning.

He examined the black haired woman looking quite seductive and exotic under the 'strictly professional' persona she catered. Kurenai Yuhi. She was one of the directors of education for some private high school. Personally hired under the supervision of Tsunade Senju, and that was saying something about her expertise. Tsunade only hired the best of the best, regardless of status, position or development unlike all the other big shot schools. Kakashi and Kurenai had only met a few days prior, and he could already tell that she despised the snow white haired man to a certain degree. He could only chuckle inwardly at that, there was never a woman that could resist his charm, except the oh so professional Kurenai Yuhi of course. It didn't matter though, by the way Asuma was nibbling at his cigarette it was obvious there was some form of attraction between the two. He knew Asuma years back, every single habit, no matter how miniscule, was registered in Kakashi's trained eyes. He was known for detail after all.

However, the man that was twiddling his thumbs interested him. He seemed so out of place in this type of environment. Kurenai did too, but by the way she was eyeing the 'exotic dancers' on the catwalk, it was kind of obvious she was into this. It was funny, she wasn't a lesbian nor bisexual to his knowledge, but who could resist dancing like that? Asuma had good taste in women apparently , judging by the way Kurenai functioned. Skilled, deadly, professional, and probably kinky if you pushed her buttons right, but Asuma was a different story. He was the definition of the word 'soft', chances were that he'd never actually make a move on anybody without actually being pushed by his partner. Kakashi could only sigh at his partner's antics.

But still, the caramel skinned man interested him more than Asuma and Kurenai sneaking glances at each other. "We haven't properly met" Kakashi said, directing his voice loudly to drown out the music over at the young man staring at the table. This earned a small flinch from him. Kakashi smirked at that. "O-Oh of course! I apologize" the man mumbled out as he looked at Kakashi, only to stare back at the table slowly. Kakashi had the urge to chuckle, but decided that would be rude. The man looked up at Kakashi who was motioning for him to go on.

"O-oh. I'm Iruka Umino, I work under guidance for Sannin Private High." Iruka said with a bit more energy. Kakashi nodded at that. After a few moments of silence, Iruka decided to speak up. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

Kakashi smiled at that while closing his eyes. "Nope" he said with a cheerful tone, causing Iruka to stare at him in disbelief. Kakashi smirked inwardly at that, he was already too fun to rile up. "What's a counsellor doing at a place like this?" Kakashi teased, earning a blush from Iruka, who stammered out a response. "w-we- ! NO, ugh. we were told to meet here!" Kakashi chuckled at Iruka's defensiveness, he supposed he had a right to be this defensive though, it would look bad for any counsellor to be out drinking, except Kakashi only saw him take an order of water or something. Pfft, that was cute. They were both interrupted by Kurenai's heavy sigh.

"The reason i called you all here today, well besides the alcohol and women" she mumbled out as she stared at one of the dancers. A creamy looking blonde with curves and tape over her nipples. So that was what she was staring at all this time.

Kakashi smirked at the thought.

"Kakashi, I know you and Asuma have worked together for years now. We were informed that you were the most specialized and experienced in this type of thing. " Kurenai stated a bit hesitantly.

Kakashi didn't like the sound of that. He was good at what he did, but it didn't necessarily mean he was willing to comply with whatever his assignment was right now. Usually the department head would inform him of assignments directly, something coming from Kurenai didn't mean well in Kakashi's experienced eyes. The reason Kurenai supplied him probably wasn't the real reason Asuma and himself were chosen.

"I've heard that you have a connection with Tsunade Senju"

Oh yeah, this was trouble. So that's why.

"She's been worried about a particular former student of hers, along with one of his siblings. The name Uzumaki ring a bell to you?" The crimson eyed woman asked.

Kakashi thought for a moment before Asuma answered for him. "Isn't that Jiraya's godchild?" Kakashi widened his eyes at that. How could he forget? Technically there were two kids under the responsibility of Jiraya, except the fact was unknown to most. Only a hand select few knew that fact.

Jiraya was a famous author for his novels. Most of them were adult fiction that involved lust, murder and all the other good stuff that interested about 90% of the reading population. Kakashi wasn't a heavy reader but when he DID read, it was always the more ... 'mature' section in Jiraya's line of literature. The infamous "Icha Icha" series fueled him with creative ideas and second thoughts about his sex life. Seriously, how many uses could a vacuum cleaner be used in bed? Kakashi could only awe in the man's creativity. With all of his earnings and 'literature', Jiraya must have been a busy man, it was understandable if he couldn't take care of his godchildren, only if there was a good replacement for a caretaker that is.

"Well, Tsunade asked you two if you could monitor them for a bit"

Both Kakashi and Asuma stared at Kurenai confused. "Why?" was the simple question asked by Kakashi. The woman only sighed at that. "She's been fearing for them, their caretaker isn't exactly up to par in standards." She mumbled out.

Of course, shit never ran smoothly anyways.

Kakashi looked confused while Asuma gave a nod of understanding. He looked at Kakashi and mumbled out "Uchiha Madara", which immediately made Kakashi's jaw drop. "The lawyer?" Asuma nodded at that.

Madara wasn't exactly the cleanest in the department. His profile held many charges, starting from harboring illegal substances to downright abuse and some classified files even suggest second degree murder. He was one slippery bastard though, he had influence of the highest political officials Kakashi had seen. How he had this much power was beyond him. What struck out more was how he was taking care of the two, and for what reason.

"Before you ask, I don't know the story nor the connection between Jiraya and Madara besides the fact that it was strictly professional in terms of business. Kyuubi hadn't told Tsunade everything. But judging by the state he's in sometimes and the amount of medical examinations he evaded, it's obvious that something isn't exactly right here"

"Even with that given, to perform such a job. Kurenai, we're going to need a warrant" Asuma mumbled out while he took a swig of his cigarette. Kakashi nodded dumbly at that. Getting a warrant for such a task was unheard of, this was basically spying and stalking really and on one of the most influential lawyers and his household as well. Kakashi was about to ask more, but was distracted by a topless dancer a small distance away from him, looking directly at him seductively. This got Kurenai's attention as well.

Asuma and Iruka sighed at that.

"... That's the issue" Kurenai mumbled out while still eyeing the dancer. Kakashi's stabilized hid attention once more. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, but dreaded the answer already.

"This isn't an official job, that's knowing that the department would act... differently" she stated, earning strange looks from Kakashi and a confused look from Asuma. Kakashi downed the drink in front of him which had laid there forgotten for too long. He didn't like where this was going, not by a long shot.

"Tsunade asked if you could do this favor for her, she understands that you two won't have warrants, but she's practically begging"

"Kurenai, this is Illegal" Kakashi stated in a higher voice pretty much surprised with Tsunade's request. _Was she out of her mind?_ Kurenai glared at him for that. "No shit Kakashi. I know that well."

She sighed in frustration. "She doesn't expect you two monitor them every single day, but after work as overtime if it's possible" Kurenai whistled over at the bartender and signaled him to get more drinks for the table, to which the scruffy looking bearded man nodded in response.

"It would only be a two times a week thing, or whatever works best for you. She cares about the two, and asked personally for you two, Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi because of your trust level with her."

Kakashi was about to respond before he got cut off by Kurenai.

"Tsunade is paying you personally, handsomely at that"

"It's not about the money at all, it's just the fact that two officers doing something like this behind the scenes, it's going to look bad for both the department and us." Asuma said while he downed his drink. Truthfully speaking, Asuma didn't care for money in the least, nor did Kakashi. Their reasons for joining the force were different, but money wasn't in their 'demands' list at all. They were making a bit more money than they needed anyways.

"I understand that it's risking your careers, and that's the farthest I've been told to tell you. What you decide is up to yourselves entirely." Kurenai mumbled out as she noted the bartender give a tray full of drinks to a young waiter.

"So you're not going to force us to co-operate?" Kakashi asked skeptically. "You know Tsunade has a thing for being stubborn, I wouldn't be surprised if she forces us" he added, earning a laugh from snort from Asuma which only nodded in response.

"No" was the short and cut response they received.

"No?"

"Nope." Kurenai mumbled as she took the tray from the waiter.

"And why is that?" Asuma asked skeptically. Kurenai looked up while sipping on the fairly large glass. After about a few moments of that, she put the glass down and sighed heavily, running her fingers through her wavy black hair. "She understands how hard you worked for your positions, and what it means to you two. So if risking your careers for some kids you don't even know wasn't in your resume's then by all means refuse. I'm not entirely sure what she'll do after though." Kurenai said as she downed the rest of her drink.

"K-Kurenai don't you think that's a bit too much to drink for tonight?" Iruka stammered out, earning a glare from the woman. "Shut the fuck up" she growled out as she put her forehead to the table.

Asuma looked at Iruka in sympathy, while he got up and began wearing his beige winter coat. "It's been a pleasure, but I believe we should leave now, we'll contact you soon" He said as he finally took the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it in the ashtray next to him. A firm handshake was transferred between Iruka and Asuma while Kakashi lazily had his hands in his pockets and eyed the dancers.

A pat on the shoulder indicated that it was time to go, so he gave a wavy laze to the two of them while they exited the club.

The night was cold and it had just started to snow. They were given grunts by the bouncers guarding the doors, probably their way of saying 'farewell'. Kakashi could only chuckle at their hostile gentleness. They walked silently to the parking lot near the back of the club, it was dark but the clouds above had given a dull white shine to the lot itself, it also helped that there were a few lampposts.

Asuma opened the door to his car, it was an old black Honda Civic. Nothing flashy, but it got the job done. It hadn't failed them before despite it's age, so that was a good sign. Asuma began started the heater when he unlocked the passenger door from inside.

they both got in and waited for a few minutes while Asuma was warming up the car.

"So what's your call?" Asuma mumbled out, as he started fumbling through loose papers on the dashboard of the car. Kakashi said nothing at that, as he began tapping his fingers on the window next to him. "I've seen the kid before you know" he barely whispered out.

"You have?"

Kakashi said nothing as he stared out the window. The passenger side was facing away front he club, so he was able to see the small trucking yard a few kilometers away. The sheer amount of trees beyond the trucking yard was incredible. It felt out of place in an area like this. There was a few plaza's adjacent to the street they were on. So it was a moderately packed area.

"He's the one you talked about right? The one that reminded you of those two?" Asuma asked quietly. There was silence afterwards, it seemed that even the sounds from outside died down a bit to hear Kakashi's response. The silence that came after that was all that Asuma needed.

He changed the gears of his car and pulled out of the lot, not taking his eyes off the road. Kakashi said nothing at all, as he was thinking over this new assignment that he for once had the choice to embark on. It would risk their careers, but he supposed he owed Tsunade a favor or two.


	7. Chapter 7

Authors Note: Yo. So here's another chapter, school started to expect me to update like once a week, twice at best maybe. I mean that's if people want to actually read this, so hopefully I get more feedback. I might actually start replying to these comments/reviews, I don't even know why I haven't considered it yet. A thankyou to every person who reviewed and supported this story, whether it be by a fave, follow, review or comment or whatever, even the traffic graph makes me all giddy inside.

So thank you for that, and hopefully I'm pleasing all of you NaruSasu fans. HOPEFULLY. But hey, the story will pick up, I promise that much. Enjoy the weekend broskees.

* * *

The tiles felt hard against the soles of their feet, as they walked up the intricate yet simple pathway towards the door. The brown mosaic tiles on their feet was aiding them towards their destination, the freshly cut grass stood out even in the dim moonlight. It was nothing different, however they hesitated a bit more. They had good reason to after all, this had been an act of rebellion, even if it wasn't exactly planned. The weekend was over, that only meant one thing.

It was time to return here. They couldn't exactly put their fingers on it, but something was off. Was this place a home? It was where they resided, but did it offer the comfort of a home? No, in reality they were a form of nomads, traveling as far as possible from this place. However, they were obliged to return, and now they were cursing their luck.

It was near midnight, the moon was up high, well beyond the limits of human reach. It gave off an ethereal glow while the stars lay there, encrusted into the heavens above in abundance. Soft but chilling wind hit both of their faces, making their hair blow with the wind while they had their hands deep inside their pockets. The snow was making its way into Naruto's running shoes, it was a shame he declined Sasuke's offer prior. He felt it easily, the blistering cold slowly breaching the outsides of his skin. He had to go in sooner or later, but the infamous Mercedes in the driveway was limiting him, it was limiting the both of them.

What was Naruto coming back to? Their weekend over at Sasuke's was great, but good things only lasted for so long. Soon he would face the reality which he despised, the reality he wanted to ignore. The pain and hate from the outside world once again. He couldn't quite explain it, but there was a sudden rush of ecstasy when he was with Sasuke. Not him exactly, but the feeling of excitement, contentment, happiness even. Once he left, he was then painfully aware of exactly how much different the outside world was compared to the confines of Sasuke's home and Kyuubi's presence. He was Naruto's brother, but he couldn't be there all the time. It was back to the beginning again, Naruto was alone once more.

He opened his eyes, he hadn't realized he closed them to begin with. The crimson eyes of his brother were staring at him, there was anger in them, frustration. One might even say that he was about to hurt Naruto, but the blonde knew better than that. Kyuubi's eyes softened as Naruto hesitantly moved up the pathway towards the steps of the home, where Kyuubi was.

What was Naruto returning to _exactly_? It was that feeling of being lost, the feeling that something was ripped away from him, it wasn't anything in particular, he just felt empty. Depressed even. His older brother easily recognized this, but said nothing in particular. What would he say?

"Sorry for being such a fuckup of a brother?" No, that didn't sound quite right with Kyuubi, but he thought it was the truth. No, that was an understatement, he believed every single word of it. The redhead couldn't help but blame himself for Naruto's current predicament, and he'd probably never forgive himself for it. What was there to do? What _could_ he do? There was always a pile of restrictions literally whacked across his head whenever he wanted to do something about it, and the whole Jiraya issue.

Kyuubi cringed at that. _Jiraya_. The godfather that's never there. It was honestly driving Kyuubi insane, he held no respect for the man, Naruto was a different story. He practically poured his heart out for him. Why, he would never know. Jiraya's status as a bestselling author with a tight schedule may be a valid excuse to some, but the redhead wouldn't forgive him for such a petty excuse.

However, Kyuubi did have to pay respect where it was due. Jiraya wasn't exactly ignorant, he did send money or visit occasionally, but that was usually confiscated by Madara to support his habits or something of the like. Kyuubi thought about it further, It wasn't Jiraya's fault for not being aware of what goes on in the house. Naruto had asked Kyuubi directly to keep all of _this_ a secret from him. Kyuubi could only grit his teeth and nod whenever the blonde asks that from him, he didn't want to deny his brother anything. No matter how badly he wanted to punch a hole through a wall or set something ablaze, he held it all in just for the sake of his brother. However, he's seriously considering if this was one of his reasonable decisions. It was getting worse and worse, and tonight would be a night to remember, he was sure of it.

Kyuubi just realized exactly how quiet the night was once he was brought out of his deep thoughts. The soft howling of the wind and the light distant traffic was the only thing entering his ears at that moment. Should he say something?

There wasn't much else to say really, so he decided to keep quiet, his younger brother followed suit. The older male started digging through his pockets, praying that his keys were still there. The last thing they needed was Madara answering the doorbell. He stopped for a moment and considered that. What _would_ happen? What would their punishment be for skipping an entire weekend? Would Madara be furious and break new boundaries, or would he be scarily calm and collective like he sometimes is? That's what frustrated Kyuubi the most, the unpredictable attitude of Madara Uchiha posed as a threat to both him and his brother, not to mention anyone who interacted with Madara. Maybe that's what gave the fairly young man an edge in law, his unpredictable nature would give him a psychological edge. Kyuubi scoffed at the idea, maybe the cold was getting to him. Hell that sounded like a compliment even. He could practically taste the bile from the back of his throat with that thought.

Cold metal met with his fingertips, bingo. Kyuubi was spared. Naruto looked at Kyuubi with a barely visible smile, Kyuubi knew better though. The smile was fueled by fear. Pure, concentrated fear.

At least they had a chance to sneak into the home, that was probably their safest option at the moment.

Without further delay, Kyuubi inserted the key into the lock and turned triggered the mechanism by twisting his wrist. He did it quickly, and as quietly as possible, while Naruto was behind Kyuubi. They quickly got into the home without much problem, just a few subdued footsteps could be heard with a trained ear.

Something was off. He sensed it almost instantly.

There were no immediate light that blinded them upon entry, in fact the lighting was rather dim. The corridor didn't even have any lighting at all, it was all turned off. The rest of the house was lit normally however, but the tense atmosphere was practically suffocating, as if it was a physical entity. It felt heavy, and he didn't like it one bit.

Naruto went up ahead, not thinking much of it. Kyuubi almost growled in annoyance at his brother until he noticed Naruto flinch under one of the archways, the one that led to the living room. Kyuubi was taking off his other shoe with one his knees bent when he noticed the near paralyzed state Naruto was in. The blonde had stopped mid step and was staring into the living room with what appeared to be fear, surprise, and most of all, regret.

Without much thought, the redhead quickly chucked off his other shoe and walked over to see what Naruto was staring at. Once he walked under the archway, he noticed _him_.

There, under the soft glow of the warm lighting scattered around the room, was the familiar young man that had caused Naruto and Kyuubi so many problems.

There he was, just sitting there.

Staring.

Kyuubi inwardly cringed at the utterly calm expression Madara had on his face. He was wearing his work attire which consisted of an expensive black suit complete with pants and polished shoes. His onyx black eyes were staring at the both of them. It wasn't a glare of hostility, it was just a simple stare. He examined him further, the older man's tie was loosened sloppily, it was actually messy. The first few buttons of his formal shirt were undone, his hair was a bit messier than usual. The smell of alcohol had entered both of the teen's nostrils.

That unnerved Kyuubi just as much as it did Naruto.

They stood there in silence, while Madara just stared at them calmly. The time slowly ticked away, and what was mere seconds felt like agonizing hours. Finally, he broke the silence. Nobody said anything, however the pouring of liquid brought Kyuubi out of his stare to examine what Madara was doing.

_Red Bull and Vodka. _

That was a dangerous combination, it always meant trouble. However, his reasonable thoughts didn't quite correspond with the situation, it hadn't made sense. The calm and collected mask Madara was practically radiating at the two was unnerving Kyuubi to no end, he was unpredictable. He knew that well enough. This however, was new.

Just as Kyuubi was about to speak, Madara rose slowly, making whatever the redhead was about to say get shoved back down his throat in a matter of seconds. Kyuubi involuntarily clenched his fists when Madara walked silently towards them with that same calm composure, not a single hint of emotion littered the man's pale and flawless face.

Before the two of them knew it, Madara was standing directly in front of them, staring at the two. Naruto couldn't help but swallow hard while Kyuubi defiantly glared at Madara. He was easily taller than both Kyuubi and Naruto by at least two to three heads, so the stare coming from above intimidated Naruto easily, Kyuubi however wasn't that easy to scare off. If anything, his anger only rose by Madara's 'high and mighty' stance as Kyuubi called it.

"Where were you?"

The silent yet cold voice made Naruto flinch. Kyuubi had to admit that he hadn't expected that either. There was only silence for a few moments, neither of them answered.

The action was swift, and by the time he could even begin processing what happened, he was already on the floor with his vision blurring. He saw blue eyes looking mortified at him. Why? He felt numb, but he felt a warm, wet sensation on the side of his head, and some on his scalp. He noticed the tingling feeling, and the broken glass on the floor. He groaned, but didn't quite know if it had escaped his throat, the pain was slowly making itself evident now. He turned his head slightly to see the broken glass on the floor, no doubt from a bottle. Was that what happened?

Before he could think any further, he was picked up and shoved against the wall by his collar. The sudden change of position gave him a small head rush, and blurred his vision even further while he could barely register the yelling in the background.

He felt his cheek go numb with a heavy force_. What was that, a fist? _He couldn't tell, but by the way Naruto had a mortified expression plastered on his face, that was probably the case.

The sharp pain finally made itself present, and yeah. It sure as hell felt like a punch.

Kyuubi felt another one connect to his right, and then again one on his left. He spat out in a growl when he looked at Madara's face. The blank expression was still there, but he could tell the sick bastard enjoyed it, it was in those filthy eyes of his.

Naruto couldn't stop it, he couldn't even move. What was he going to do? Just stand there? He felt tears welling up, but his body refused to move at all, no matter how much his mind protested. The pained expression on Kyuubi's face made the tears fall, the blood running down his lips was tearing Naruto apart.

_"Answer me when I speak_" Madara growled out as he landed a punch on Kyuubi's gut. This earned a pained growl out of Kyuubi, and Naruto could have sworn he saw a faint smirk on Madara's face. Kyuubi looked up and glared at Madara, which only caused Madara to narrow his eyes.

_No, don't provoke him_. Naruto clenched his fists and bit his lips as he tried to help out his brother only for him to immediately halt when he saw his brother's face.

"Get the fuck out of here" The redhead growled out.

Naruto stood there frozen.

"GET THE FUCK OUT" His brother screamed as he slammed Madara next to the wall adjacent to him. Naruto let out a strangled sound when Kyuubi's head was slammed against the wall with a sickening thud by Madara's strength.

The man had a firm grip on Kyuubi's crimson hair as he leaned in close. Kyuubi struggled to keep his eyes open, but he spat on Madara's face. Madara stood there frozen as he wiped the saliva and blood off of his cheek. Kyuubi used this opportunity to place his leg behind Madara and slam him forward, causing the both of them to trip over and land on the wooden floor. Kyuubi was on top of Madara, trying to shower fists at Madara, but he was feeling weak from the blood loss, he couldn't land a single hit. Madara grabbed his jaw and slammed it onto the floor, with him now on the dominant position. Before Kyuubi could squirm out of the way, he was smacked across the jaw line with Madara's fist.

The redhead managed to kick Madara's stomach hard enough for him to falter back while Kyuubi haphazardly swung his legs to push himself away from the now seething Madara.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE" The redhead bellowed at Naruto. Without though Naruto complied with his brother's request, not believing what was happening. With a choked sound escaping his throat, he ran at the door and left the house, not bothering to look back. He leaped out of the front lawn and ran down the dark streets, not having a particular destination in mind.

He hated himself for it, he hated being so pathetically weak. What could he have done? Each step he took, each block he crossed, he kept berating himself. His lungs constricted dangerously, and he was sure that he was nearing his limit. How much had he ran? His lungs should have gave out by now, he was out of air.

He truly felt the lowest he's ever felt. How could he just let himself be so weak in front of his brother? His guardian? His only form of family left?

He shrieked out in frustration, the tears finally leaked out and before he knew it, he was choking on his sobs out of the lack of oxygen and the sheer battalion of emotions he was facing right now. He felt disgusting, he felt sick. Who knows what was happening with his brother right now, he could have done something to prevent it, he should have done something, anything.

* * *

Sasuke was leaning against his sofa and watching television. He had a mug full of French Vanilla coffee and was watching a marathon of his favourite show_. Life is good sometimes_. He had his phone beside him lying face down on the sofa, he heard it vibrate a few times be he decided to ignore it. They were facebook notifications anyways.

It must have been somewhere near commercials when he actually did decide to check up on his notifications, and as he suspected, nothing was new. A few messages from a few classmates, mostly female. He sighed at that. He kept scrolling, there were a few groups posting pictures and such, nothing particularly interested him though, besides the DidyouKnow facts of course. Those piqued his interests.

He scrolled further down and growled in annoyance. These types of pictures really aggravated him.

_"Like 'nd share if you luv god, ignore if you worship evils"_

Out of the stupidest shit people could share, this had to be one of them. Not to mention it was shared by none other than Ino Yamanaka herself. Hell it was a wonder how she could even read. Sasuke scoffed at the thought.

He never understood the stupidity of Facebook posts, the network itself was pleasing to be around, and was interesting. There was only one problem, there were way to many people Sasuke didn't like that used Facebook, and constantly messages Sasuke. It was either that or they shared photos that involved using some sort of medical or guilt ridden picture as leverage to get a few likes and shares. That pissed him off, quite badly at that.

Sasuke barely heard the doorbell when it rang. He growled in frustration, wondering who it could be at such a time. Slowly getting up, he made his way over to his door rather slowly. If they wanted to bug Sasuke at this time of night, might as well make them wait a bit.

She smirked at the idea, he loved being an asshole at times.

He picked up the pace however when there wasn't a second doorbell, he didn't know why but that made him walk faster. _Probably an instinct type of thing_.

He opened the door lazily, but froze at the sight.

Familiar tired eyes were staring at him emotionlessly. He stared wide eyed at the sight.

It was common for Itachi to come home occasionally, but it had been a long time since Sasuke actually saw Itachi home. What shocked him however, was the familiar blonde mess of hair in Itachi's arms.

Itachi was carrying an unconscious Naruto, Sasuke's mind nearly shut off.


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note**: Here's another chapter for this fic :D A huge thank you to everyone who supported this fic, I'm seriously surprised at the amount of feedback I got, it may not be a lot to some people, but for me it's a ton. Thanks again, I honestly didn't expect positive feedback to be honest. I love the reviews/comments I'm getting, super awesome motivation right there xP

So yeah by tomorrow I'm going to upload another chapter, and edit my previous chapters to fix spelling mistakes and what not. It's a lot of work, but it can totally ruin the flow of a fic to have errors and I understand that well. So here you go peeps. And thanks for reading, It means a lot.

* * *

Soft rays of sunlight hit Sasuke's face as he stared at the ceiling above him. He was breathing softly, his rhythm still continued at an uninterrupted flow, it had been hours now. Morning has already come, and yet he still didn't bat an eyelash, nor did he even turn on either of his sides at all for the whole night, regardless if he was sleeping on the floor. There was sunlight so that meant it was already morning, it wasn't like he could just start a peaceful session of slumber and well needed rest now.

School would start in a few hours, but he couldn't even begin to care about matters like that, because really he didn't need to. More importantly, there were a bit more, _complicated_ matters he would rather attend to. However attending to such matters would be a challenge in itself. His eyes were strained from lack of sleep, and his throat was incredibly dry. Yet he didn't move, not a muscle, nor an eyebrow. He was just lying down flat on his back, thinking about absolutely everything and absolutely nothing at the same time. A contradicting statement, he understood that well. However, what other method of description or explanation would suit his current situation? His mind was wary, making sure to ponder about the most smallest of details, while keeping all of that suppressed. It was like a background process, it was needless, but necessary at the same time. More contradictions, great start to a morning. What was up with him?

All he could think about was the blonde that was currently sleeping on his bed just a few inches away from him. He could hear soft breathing. He's been focusing on that sound in particular all night, seeing if there would be any change of rhythm, if something went wrong. It was a ridiculous thought, but he was paranoid of these things. Maybe this was the first human being to actually get this close with Sasuke? At record breaking time no less. He smirked at that idea, it wasn't exactly his fault that he was such a prick sometimes.

Sasuke had to get up eventually, he might not have a problem missing school, but Naruto might be another story. He didn't know about the blonde's work ethics yet, so it wasn't fair to just assume Naruto didn't mind missing school because Sasuke didn't wake him up. Appearances can be deceiving, he learned that well with Naruto. He wouldn't have thought Naruto was this ... _fragile_ underneath the shell he wore as uniform at school. Well technically, it wasn't a shell. More so a mask of tiredness. Yeah, that was probably the word to describe it. Tired. Naruto was always tired. Why, Sasuke had no clue, and still to this day he doesn't have a clue. He was determined though, for what exactly, he didn't know. He just wanted to know him as much as he can. He couldn't lie to himself, he felt as if he had a bond with the blonde occupying his bed.

A strange bond, but a bond no less. Was this friendship? He could search the Oxford English Dictionary, and it would only provide an informational definition. He had never experienced what true friendships were like, so no rich text in a stack of papers could help him truly define his current situation and status with the blonde. He ... would like to think of them as friends. As foreign as it sounded, Sasuke couldn't help but smile at that. Yeah, he supposed Naruto and him were friends, considering the Oxford definition that is.

There was only one problem. Would Naruto even wake up right now? He had to go to school and catch up on work, they were in the eleventh grade. They really had to pick up the pace. Well actually, Naruto did.

Still, in the blonde's current condition, he doubted that Naruto was in any shape to deal with school today. Maybe it was the strained expression he had when he was sleeping. Even now, Naruto looked as if he was in a lot of pain, both physical and emotional. Those classes with Pein really taught him something. He was thankful for that much.

The condition Naruto was in currently, it was unnerving though.

Weren't people supposed to sleep like angels? Have a cute pouty face in the morning? Yawn cutely and stretch? No, that wasn't the case with the blonde. No, it was far from that.

He thought he imagined it all, but he had come to figure out that no, it was in fact quite real. The choked sobs he had heard during the night were quite real, and judging by the still moist pillow the blonde had, it was pretty clear that he had been crying in his sleep, albeit silently. It pained Sasuke, and that was practically written all over his face. The tugging sensation in his chest had increased two fold. and that only made him furrow his eyebrows even more.

Sasuke was currently sitting upright, sitting down on the floor in which he took in order for Naruto to sleep comfortably, however that idea had gone in vain. The tear streaks on the blonde's cheek even in the realm of sleep proved that he was far from comfortable. The raven put both of his hands on his thighs as he sat cross legged, making sure to keep a straight posture as he watched the soft rise and fall of Naruto's chest.

What was this? This feeling? Sasuke knew what pity was, and this was nothing like it. No, it was genuine sadness. This came as a shock to him. He had been very primal. He only cared for himself, and barely anything from the outside concerned him, let alone actually get on his nerves. This whole thing, yeah it was getting on Sasuke's nerves. Once or twice, it's fine. However, constantly feeling this sensation when Naruto's in pain, it was getting really out of hand, he would seriously have to go to counseling for that.

He sighed in frustration with a sense of genuine sadness. He had two very risky options now. Either wake Naruto up or leave him be while Sasuke prepared breakfast. Sasuke knew that Naruto had gotten up last night and grabbed a glass of water from downstairs, so it was clear that Naruto knew where he was. Saying that Naruto wasn't surprised would have been a huge lie though, Sasuke felt him almost leap out of the bed, thankfully he didn't step on him. Sasuke figured the best course of action would be to pretend that he was asleep, just to avoid an awkward conversation between the two.

However now, it seemed like it was inevitable. He stretched out his arms as he rested his chin on the edge of the bed, with one of his elbows supporting the weight of his head. He finally let go of his straight posture, and leaned towards the bed so he was more comfortable. Naruto was still in slumber, facing towards Sasuke.

Everything about the blonde was practically screaming at Sasuke. The look on his face, the condition of his hair, the shallow and interrupted flow of breathing. Everything.

He remembered the shock he felt when his brother was home, carrying an unconscious Naruto no less. Had it been on pure coincidence? He hadn't asked Itachi anything, in fact he didn't do anything at all. It was Itachi who carried Naruto up the stairs and laid him down on Sasuke's bed. After that, Itachi just went to his room without saying a word. Sasuke wanted to ask what happened so badly, but he knew well enough that he wouldn't get an answer from his stone cold brother.

If he was still inside the household, Sasuke wouldn't know. The older Uchiha was usually incredibly quiet and swift when it came to his actions no matter how minor or major the action may be, that included both leaving and entering the house. Whether it was taking something out of the fridge, or tearing the house out of the ground and flipping it over, Itachi would be swift and would make sure he concealed all of his actions. Itachi was more than capable of flipping the house over without anyone noticing, well in Sasuke's eyes anyways. Sasuke wasn't even sure if Itachi ate breakfast in the morning, despite living with his brother for all these years, within the same household no less. The food would always stay in place, untouched. There would have to be some sign of entry in the fridge, wouldn't there? A misplaced apple, crumpled plastic bags? The fucking milk carton ONE millimeter empty. Nope, not with Itachi. Everything stayed the same, and Sasuke was seriously wondering if Itachi ate at all. The collection of shoes near the front door wouldn't even move a bit when Itachi would pick a pair for work or whatever need be. The shoes were always aligned precisely, he couldn't even tell that Itachi had taken a pair until counting each pair of shoes. How the older Uchiha managed that was beyond Sasuke. It was beyond the levels of precision, almost like a ninja. He would have asked Itachi, but it wasn't like he would reply. So he gave up on the concept conversing with his older brother a long time ago.

Whether it be about Itachi's wellbeing, or his own. it wouldn't matter, the outcome was always the same.

Sasuke couldn't even remember the last time he and his brother uttered a word to each other. Sasuke was sure that his brother heard his voice occasionally. Sasuke tended to have horrible luck when it came to assignments, often leading him to horrible group members. Communication was a must, so he would usually call them to make sure they weren't jeopardizing his phenomenal academic performance. This would often lead to yelling, that Sasuke was sure that Itachi would hear sometimes. Prompted that Itachi was even home. However it was different with Itachi. Itachi was a ghost in the house, he never talked or uttered a word. Sasuke never heard his brother talk on the phone, nor complain about something, or even comment on the weather. There were times where he would do the same treatment to Itachi as payback, only for his brother to not even look at his general direction. Itachi was more than fine with having the household silent as night. Itachi never talked. In the past, he did, but Sasuke couldn't even remember those times anymore. He had actually forgotten his own brother's voice, the thought alone killed Sasuke on the inside.

Movement from the corner of his eye interrupted his thoughts. Sasuke looked up straight to see tired looking blue eyes looking at him. Their eyes met, and it stayed like that for a while. How long, Sasuke couldn't tell. He felt a jolt in the pit of his stomach, that extended its reach to the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet.

No words were spoken, and neither of them moved. They only breathed softly and looked at each other.

Sasuke didn't know why or how, but within moments he found himself reaching for Naruto's cheeks with his hand. He stopped midway when he realized what he was doing, but with the lack of response Naruto gave, he hesitantly continued.

His pale hands touched Naruto's warm cheek, which were plump and full thanks to the rest he had just taken. Naruto looked at the hand with a soft gaze, then at Sasuke. Sasuke hitches his breath when the blonde then did something that surprised him. The blonde nuzzled against his hand and closed his eyes once more. The nuzzling was soft. His cheeks felt good against the palm of Sasuke's hand, and he couldn't help but admire the sight. He felt content with this, and he couldn't even begin to wonder why.

An unknown feeling coursed through Sasuke at that point. Gently, he began caressing Naruto's cheeks with the palm of his hand, softly grazing his pale fingers along the horizontal scars on his cheeks. Then he moved his hands towards Naruto's ears which were surprisingly cold. Without hesitation, he began running his fingers through Naruto's messy blonde hair. He applied a bit of pressure and ran his fingers across his scalp while very gently tugging on the hair. It was a trick he had learned from his mother when he was young, it was used to comfort him whenever he felt down. Judging by Naruto's content sigh and nuzzling, he was enjoying it as much as he did when he was little.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile softly at that.

Naruto tiredly scooted over so that he was further away from Sasuke, which caused the raven haired man to look at him confused. Naruto saw the confused look and merely patted the spot where he just laying on, signaling Sasuke .

He looked at the blonde with a blush, the idea was tempting, but should he really be that close to Naruto?

Yeah, it was pretty obvious.

Sasuke got up and huddle over next to Naruto, not caring about how their situation could look if someone walked in. He couldn't give a fuck even if he tried.

There the two were, side by side, with Naruto lying down and facing Sasuke while the raven haired teen was sitting down, leaning on the headboard. He began running his fingers through Naruto's hair again, while Naruto closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling.

"Put your head on my lap"

The words came out of Sasuke's mouth before he could even began to register what happened. And like an idiot, he just sat there, cursing his stupidity. It didn't help the fact that the blonde tensed at the request. Naruto softly gazed at Sasuke with hazed eyes due to the early morning. Just as Sasuke was about to say something to make the situation less awkward, the blonde surprised him when he adjusted himself. Sasuke's bed was a large one, it had been custom made. He finally found a purpose for a bed that was bigger than a single's. Naruto was lying down diagonally with his head on Sasuke's lap.

This made Sasuke feel giddy inside, and he could have sworn he resembled a tomato at that point. He began caressing Naruto's cheek out of pure instinct, and was satisfied when the blonde closed his eyes to enjoy the attention Sasuke's hands were giving his cheeks. Sasuke was enjoying this. A lot.

Still, he supposed he should get ready for school, but was Naruto going as well? He seriously doubted it, and something in his mind didn't want Naruto to go to school in this condition.

"Are you going to school?"

The blonde yawned and sunk deeper into Sasuke's lap, making him blush in response. The morning probably had to do with Naruto's 'not giving a shit' attitude right now, because the only one that was blushing like a school girl was Sasuke. Naruto did seem really out of it in all realism, so Sasuke decided to leave it alone. He himself stopped caressing Naruto's cheeks, earning himself a soft hum of disapproval. He couldn't help but outwardly chuckle at that, causing Naruto to finally blush. Slowly the blonde repositioned himself so that he facing the other way. Sasuke smiled at him as he began walking out of his room.

He was halfway down the stairs when he heard the movement from downstairs. Sasuke slowed his pace as he started hearing the flow of water, most likely coming from the kitchen sink. it took a few seconds, but judging by the interruption of sound, it was clear that someone was washing their hands in the kitchen.

With a bit of hesitation, he began walking down the stairs and walked under the archway, leading to the kitchen.

There were two things that surprised him at that point.

The first thing was that Itachi was at home, seemingly staying home for once due to the grey sweatpants he was wearing and black T-shirt.

The second thing that surprised him was what was on the dining table.

An array of food seemingly for two people was on top of the familiar wooden dining table. Waffles, pancakes, a pitcher of what appeared to be cherry juice, fresh fruit and an arrangement of sweets to be more precise.

Sasuke looked dumbfounded as he stared at Itachi, who was currently washing the some forks by the sink. Itachi didn't acknowledge his brother, and continued doing what he was doing. He placed the forks that he had just cleaned on the dining table shortly after, followed by two plates.

As he was doing this, Sasuke had to rub his eyes to see if this was some type of illusion or not. Surely enough, a physical Itachi was still setting up the dining table wordlessly. Sasuke looked at Itachi's face as he walked back to the kitchen. It had strain under it, as usual. The two stress marks were still there, along with a tired look in his eyes. The older Uchiha had an blank face when doing all of this, almost in a lazy fashion.

In reality, Sasuke was trying to figure Itachi out. Right now, that was failing miserably. Itachi was an unreadable person, this made being brothers with him excruciatingly difficult. They were bound by blood, but it rarely showed.

This however was different.

Before Sasuke could think any further, Itachi was already in front of his brother, making Sasuke flinch at the sudden realization. Itachi was always swift.

"Eat."

Sasuke widened his eyes at the soft voice.

The soft request was unexpected, and he flinched violently as a result. _Was that really Itachi's voice_? Sasuke stared at him dumbfounded, and couldn't even process what was going on anymore. The voice rung through his head, and he could tell that his head was trying to make sense of it all, even though that was a nearby impossible task to accomplish.

Sasuke could only nod dumbly, but his eyes were still wide with surprise. His mouth was slightly parted. Itachi looked at the ground next, with a facial expression that Sasuke could actually read for once.

It was guilt.

"I'm sorry" were the simple words that came from Itachi's mouth.

"W-what?" Sasuke couldn't help but stutter out the question, he could have sworn his thoughts were travelling at the speed of light and ricocheting like a pinball machine in his own head. Sasuke wasn't going to lie to himself. He didn't know what to feel, but he could tell that he was happy. Happy that Itachi finally spoke a word to him after so long. He had forgotten his brother's voice, and he sure as hell didn't expect it to be so ... pleasant. It was soft, much like Itachi's features. One could say that Itachi was feminine, but he still held a masculine foundation underneath.

Itachi closed his eyes tight and shook his head. The sigh that escaped Itachi's lips surprised Sasuke.

"Tell him that his brother is fine" was the soft response he got. Itachi wordlessly walked past Sasuke in a swift motion, and began walking up the stairs quietly.

Within a few moments, Sasuke heard a door click shut.


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Note: Yo this is the ninth chapter. Right now the plot is finally picking up, and the main idea of the story will now unravel. Thank you to all those who supported my fic in any way shape or form, it means a lot. If you guys could review/comment, that would be sweet. I can't really explain why, but whenever I see feedback on my fics, I like get a charge of motivation. So thank you for that! Enjoy reading :P

* * *

Itachi turned off the ignition of his car. The winter cold was doing him well, he enjoyed the sensation of snow crunching under his feet, the redness of his cheeks and nose when he was out in the cold for too long, and the peaceful atmosphere the snow always created. Yes, Itachi loved the winter with all of his heart.

He grabbed the Starbucks cup and took a sip. The flavor of pumpkin spice filled his mouth as he let out a relieved sigh. Both of his hands were resting on either side of the easily distinguishable green and white themed cup as he blew some of the steam that was rising from the lid. He leaned back further onto the leather seat of his car, occasionally closing his eyes and taking sips of his favourite winter drink. Pumpkin wasn't really associated with winter, but he loved the flavour of it so it didn't matter to him. As long as it was giving him a cozy feeling, he was alright with it.

After a few moments, he set the cup back in its original place, inside the cup holder. The iconic logo of a propeller with a blue and white checkered theme was on the screen of his built in GPS. He eyes the dials of the radio, then the heating controls. They were simple knobs and switches, but he gazed at them in wonder none the less. He always liked getting lost in his own world, however it was a pain almost nearly every time he had the pleasure. He always had to do something or go somewhere whenever he wanted time to himself.

However, he wasn't restricted to anything as of right now. Maybe that would change later, but for now he was enjoying the peace and quiet in his car. He was content.

He couldn't help but close his eyes and think back to what had happened just last night. The moment he had seen a blonde mess of hair on the sidewalk, he couldn't help but stop his car and bring him over to his own residence. Not only because Itachi had a soft heart, but he was able to identify the boy almost immediately. Uzumaki Naruto was no stranger to him, whether the blonde knew that or not was unknown to Itachi.

Maybe it was because of the blonde hair and tattoos that he was able to distinguish immediately, even during the night. Those particular features weren't common around these parts, so maybe that was the reason how he knew who Naruto was. One might think that, but that wasn't really the case.

It was quite far from it actually.

The individual who he worked with was none other than Naruto's older brother. And that said individual hated Itachi to the bone. Fate had some twisted sense of humour.

At first he thought it was him personally, and truthfully speaking, it still is probably only him. Whatever the reason was, Kyuubi absolutely despised Itachi, and the said Uchiha did nothing but accept that fact, and tried to work around the boundaries and obstacles Kyuubi had set. Of course, this was what Itachi believed. They had worked together for a while, and Kyuubi's attitude towards him hasn't changed at all. It was only reasonable to assume that Kyuubi hated Itachi.

He turned his head over to the passenger's side of the car, to see red hair. Kyuubi was exhausted, and couldn't help but doze off in the middle of their drive. That was expected however, considering the collection of injuries he had received the night before. Itachi didn't know the exact details, nor did he want to anger Kyuubi by invading his privacy. However, even if Kyuubi hated him or not, Itachi wouldn't lie to himself by saying that he didn't care. When he saw the redhead's condition, he was frustrated and relieved at the same time. Frustrated because he didn't know what was happening in their home exactly and what caused the injuries, although he could probably make a few reasonable guesses. He was relieved because of the minority of the injuries. A black eye, cut lip, bleeding nose and a possible fractured rib or two weren't fatal, and for that, Itachi was grateful.

As if on cue, the redhead began to stir awake. Itachi gazed softly with an emotionless face as the redhead began rubbing his hair with the leather seat and yawned with the both of his arms in the air. It took only a few seconds for Kyuubi to realize where he was and stare at Itachi. It didn't hold hostility by any means, just a blank look that held curiosity.

Itachi couldn't help but smile softly, within a few moments that smile transformed into a soft chuckle. Kyuubi sat there with an eyebrow raised. "What's so funny" he growled out.

Itachi slowly shook his head and smiled at him. This caused Kyuubi to grow even more confused. "You're acting weird today" was the simple statement that came from the redhead.

Itachi closed his eyes and hummed softly. "Am I? Or is it that you just failed to notice me for all these years?" was the silent response.

This made Kyuubi look down with an unknown feeling rising in his chest. He shouldn't have felt it, but he did. Was it guilt? He knew what guilt felt like, but when It came to Itachi, he was sure he couldn't feel guilt of any sort.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"You hate me" was the simple and soft response. Itachi's smile was now gone, and a look of what appeared like sadness was registered by Kyuubi, this made Kyuubi widen his eyes for a fraction of a second. Itachi rarely showed emotions, the only times he actually did show them was when they were both together. This had always made the redhead wonder why exactly Itachi was comfortable with him of all people. However, he never had the opportunity to actually ask him.

"Who the fuck told you that?"

"You did"

Kyuubi looked away and felt some type of anger with his own actions. There may have been some instances where Kyuubi was just in a pissy mood and said things to Itachi, which he hadn't actually meant. However, it seemed that Itachi took those remarks to heart, and accepted it as some form of truth. Why Itachi accepted that, he didn't know. Why he cared about his opinions on him, he didn't know. Why _he_ cared about this entire thing, he didn't know. This was frustrating.

A few moments of silence passed by, the soft howling of the wind could be heard through the car's windows as the sun was still setting over the horizon. It was only half an hour ago that Sasuke and Naruto had left for school, so the day was still young.

"Your text messages, the way you seethe at me, the way you narrow your eyes" Itachi said softly, while keeping his eyes closed. "You hate me. You've said it yourself"

"wh- well. I'm probably just moody or some shit" Kyuubi growled out as he stared out the window.

Itachi smiled at that. "understatement of the century" was the soft tease he gave, making Kyuubi growl even further and look directly at him.

"I may not hate you, but that doesn't mean I like you either, so don't push it"

"I expected no less, whatever your reasons are, I'm sure they're good ones. I apologize in advance"

Kyuubi was about to retort until he Itachi spoke first.

"Please, don't put that much stress on your face, the black eye is still healing" was the soft hum he gave.

Kyuubi sat back and just mumbled a "whatever" and kept looking out the window. Seriously this guy was getting on his nerves, but it wasn't angering him. He was just confused as to why he was so _sensitive_. Kyuubi knew Sasuke's name rang a bell, it only confirmed his suspicions when he remembered Itachi's last name. There was a reason why they had such a striking resemblance, they _were_ brothers after all. Kyuubi honestly felt like kicking himself due to his stupidity.

Attitude wise however, it seemed that Sasuke and Itachi had a role reversal. Sasuke was apparently the hardcore, 'not give a shit' type when it came to other people, Itachi on the other hand was a ... different. There really wasn't a word in the English dictionary to describe him, or at least that was what he believed.

Kyuubi still didn't like him, but he didn't exactly hate him either. Whatever Itachi believed, he could believe. He just didn't like a lot of things and was hard to please, Itachi Uchiha was no exception. He couldn't find a way to change those thoughts because either Itachi was too quiet, or he himself was just as quiet as Itachi. Sometimes their roles would reverse, so it made communication outside of work a bit challenging. They never called each other outside of work, nor did they text for fun. Their communication, no matter what it may be, always had to have some sort of high purpose. With a system like that, it was without doubt that Kyuubi's feelings about not liking Itachi would stay the same. He probably didn't get to know the older Uchiha better, even if it hurts his pride admitting such a thing. Not that he cared of course.

"So you don't hate me?" was the honest question.

"I'm going to start to if you keep asking" the redhead growled for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Then try some of this"

Kyuubi looked at the object that was held up right in front of him. It was so close to him that he had to cross his eyes to look at the item.

His eyes had to focus, but when it did, the infamous mermaid imprinted onto a green and white themed cup was staring back at him. It was looking smug in all its glory, and the steam was blowing right onto his face, making him furrow his eyebrows.

"This is a joke, right?"

Itachi just smiled softly and shook his head, "Try some, it'll warm you up"

Kyuubi glared at both the cup and the raven haired male who was currently looking at him with a small smile. "Fine if it'll shut you the fuck up"

Kyuubi grabbed the cup and took a sip, when he was bombarded with the flavor of pumpkin spice, at first he crinkled his nose at the sensation but then he gulped it down and felt the aftertaste crawl on his tongue.

"Tastes like ass" Kyuubi growled out.

Itachi looked amused and leaned further back in his seat. "So then why are you still drinking it?" the older Uchiha asked in a playful tone. Kyuubi scoffed at this.

"Fuck you, that's why"

He began drinking the beverage, hell it wasn't that bad. Itachi only shook his head at Kyuubi's attitude with a smile and closed his eyes.

Itachi felt a bit tired, and considering that neither of them had any places to be, and that Kyuubi was currently fiddling with his phone, apparently on Facebook, he decided to doze off for a bit.

"Itachi"

"hmm?"

"Thank you, for helping Naruto." Kyuubi mumbled out as he began drinking his beverage once more.

Itachi turned his head to smile at Kyuubi, and then began to rest.

* * *

Kurenai's class was a drag in Naruto's eyes. It was always either a work period, or a substitute. Kurenai Yuhi was his home form teacher, so anything the school issued via forms would be given to him by Kurenai herself. However, she rarely gives out anything, and when she does, it's always two to three days late. This included field trip forms, agendas, assignments and school conducts. Today was just like any other work day, just finish up any assignments that are to be submitted soon.

Naruto looked up near the front of the class to see Sasuke sitting on the windowsill as any other day, listening to Sakura's constant rambling. Sasuke hadn't failed to inform Naruto about their current predicament. Sakura thought Sasuke was planning something big against Naruto, this in turn reduced problems significantly with Sakura thus far. However, it was only a matter of time before the pink haired girl would be a nuisance once again. Naruto was happy for the absence of the demon while it lasted, but this meant that Sasuke couldn't exactly sit next to him or even converse with him without the pink haired bitch getting suspicious, as well as the rest of the class.

As far as the class was concerned, they all thought Sasuke hated Naruto.

Naruto leaned back on his seat and began drawing a figure on the lined sheet of paper he had out. He never knew why, but whenever it was class time, his artistic skills would max out considerably. When it actually came time to draw for a specific reason however, he could barely draw a circle. The feel of the lead pencil in his hands made him grip his pencil a bit tighter and begin thinking of possible ideas. Within a few moments, he began doing the outlines softly, which eventually led him to start shading. He then added the details and within a few minutes, a chibi version of Kurenai was staring back at him. It wasn't offensive by any means, he actually respected Kurenai. It was more of a cute version, that was highly detailed with a comedic edge. Big round eyes with defined eyelashes, tiny stubby body, a huge smile. Yeah, it looked cute to Naruto.

He was interrupted by a figure standing in front of him. Preparing for the worst, he slowly moved his gaze upwards. It was a grey jacket, so it was a student, and not Kurenai. As he gazed up further he noticed odd red marks on the male's cheeks, and messy brown hair. He recognized the male as Kiba Inuzuka almost immediately afterwards.

He mentally sighed in relief. He and Kiba weren't close, but they went along fine. Kiba was a typical high school student who wasn't interested in his marks. Kiba was aiming for a football scholarship, and with his clean statistics (Naruto couldn't help but overhear the female body of the school talking about it), there would be a high chance that he would get what he wanted. Naruto was happy for him, not everyone was so gifted with a football, and not everyone could shatter a ribcage when charging.

"Yo man, how's it going" Kiba had a goofy grin on his face, and Naruto visibly relaxed. "Not much, you?" was the simple response the blonde gave. Kiba then noticed the drawing. Naruto saw the gaze Kiba gave at his sheet of paper, and he quickly covered it up with his elbows, which caused Kiba to snort.

"That's a sweet drawing man" the brown haired man said as he grinned. Naruto smiled back. "You should probably join the art club or something, this class is weak on that."

Naruto scoffed and began shading once more.

"Listen, I was wondering if you were interested in like football and shit"

Naruto's interests were piqued at that.

"Like, we had spots available and shit if you want. We need a receiver, so you any good at running?" The brown haired teen asked with a curious look. Naruto pondered for a bit.

"Yeah I guess, I mean I run sometimes, like to the bathroom and stuff if that counts"

Kiba laughed at that and patted his shoulder. "3:15, afterschool at the field. Don't be late, coach gets all weird if you're late"

With that the standing teen left with a wave while Naruto noticed Sasuke's glare at Kiba. It was almost comical, and Naruto couldn't help but smirk and continue his drawing of Kurenai.

His classes went by pretty quickly after that. Lunch was boring and he didn't go out. Sasuke was busy in remediation to double check if he had done his assignments right while Naruto was sitting alone in the cafeteria all alone. It wasn't a big deal really, until he sensed stares directed towards him across the lunchroom. As usual, Sakura and her little crew were glaring daggers at him, and it was seemingly getting more hostile every passing day, and that unnerved him. It had gotten to the point where he had to get up and sit down near his locker for the rest of the lunch period due to the venom behind those stares. He was thankful for this, because he found that eating in the locker hallway was much more comfortable than the lunchroom.

After that there was psychology and philosophy with Pein, he was an odd teacher who didn't actually talk a lot, let alone actually display any form of facial expression. He let the class ramble on about nothing in particular, for today he didn't have a specific topic in mind. However, Naruto noticed the way Pein's eyes would flicker to different students as they spoke, it was discreet and a little bit odd, but not at all as creepy as it sounded. The blonde could tell that the pierced man was noting each of his student's personalities, well that was the only sensible reason Naruto could come up with.

Before he knew it, there he was walking towards the giant field behind the school. Each step he took, his view on the players clarified further. They were huddled up, some were sitting down while others were standing. All of them were seemingly active in conversing with each other except for one. In fact, he was the only one that was jogging up and down the football field. Each step he took, the more he regretted coming here. Not only was this hostile grounds according to movies and TV shows from all around the world, it was also something he foolishly agreed to without much thought.

_Fuck me if I know anything about football, why am I even here?_

His thoughts were interrupted by a bone shattering force driving him to the floor. The first thing he registered was the stars in his vision, the next thing was the amount of air he had lost from his lungs with that tackle. The last thing was the laughter coming from a familiar voice.

Suddenly the weight from his body was lifted, and there was now a hand in front of him. He blinked once, then twice. It took three blinks until his eyes refocused and recognized Kiba fully uniformed in football gear. The school shield was on either shoulder pad. The uniform was graphite black with streaks of purple and silver.

Naruto accepted the friendly gesture and was on his feet in no time. The tackle winded him, and the thought alone just made him regret this decision even further. _Five minutes in and I already get knocked off my feet._

"Didn't hit you too hard, did I?" was the response he got. Naruto stared at Kiba, who was currently adjusting his helmet in so much concentration, that he had his tongue sticking out. Naruto scoffed as he tried to regulate his breathing again.

* * *

Itachi watched with interest as Kyuubi threw the last attacker over his shoulder, letting him land on broken glass. There were five men on the ground, the one Kyuubi just threw included. The assignment wasn't at all risky, and it was Kyuubi's choice if he wanted to undergo this hassle at all, but he needed the money so he really couldn't refuse.

However, the pay wasn't nearly as much as the red head envisioned. Itachi was set on family funds, so it really wasn't a big deal, but he was dedicated in earning the money himself, so Itachi was working well over three jobs. This one however, was probably the most interesting.

Kyuubi on the other hand, had this job and this job alone. The only reason why he wasn't doing the same thing Itachi was doing was because of Madara. As stupid as it sounded, Kyuubi had a curfew. Even if it wasn't official, there were certain times where Kyuubi noticed Madara's potent moods. Having three jobs would mean him being out of the house for extended periods of time, and Madara would have none of that.

Itachi noticed Kyuubi's thoughtful look, even when he had his foot stomped on someone's chest. "What are you thinking about?" Itachi asked softly.

"This job isn't getting me where I want to go."

Itachi sat on the hood of his car and began pondering.

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" the raven haired male asked.

"Besides the pay being shit, what else _can_ I say?" he growled out in response.

"What type of earnings are you talking about exactly? On what scale?"

There was silence after that, Kyuubi finally raised his foot to give the man under him some breathing space.

Kyuubi and Itachi worked for a small time gang under the name of "Kitsune". It was a small, but tight knit group that made profit out of petty crimes. Robbery, drug dealing, things of that nature. Kyuubi found that he really didn't want to be associated with such things, so became a 'brute' of the small gang. He usually dealt with other gangs head on, but it never went beyond fist fights. The pay was weak, but it was getting him somewhere.

When Kyuubi didn't answer, Itachi only sighed.

"There was one other option you could take, but it operates on a much larger scale."

Kyuubi was immediately interested, and looked up at Itachi who currently had his eyes closed. "It pays handsomely, and it practically gives you diplomatic immunity."

Kyuubi was about to speak until he was interrupted by Itachi.

"However, there's a catch."

He narrowed his eyes at that. _There was always some fucking catch to these things._

"Are you willing to lose yourself?"

Kyuubi frowned in response. "The hell does that mean?" the redhead asked curiously as he began walking towards the car. He had finished his task, and left an impression on his rivals, who were now currently on the floor either bleeding or whimpering in pain. It took a bit of effort, especially in his condition, but he needed pay, as little as it was. This option Itachi purposed however was interesting.

"What you think is immoral now will change eventually afterwards. You'll risk bearing burdens that you never thought you would handle. You'll change as a person over time." Itachi looked at Kyuubi with a serious expression. "With that being said, the both of us could benefit greatly, or fall permanently as a result. It's a gamble."

Kyuubi thought for a moment. Really, it didn't seem like a bad idea. Something in the back of his head was nagging at him, but he decided to ignore the fact. He needed money, for the wellbeing of both his brother, and himself. Itachi was coming with him, no matter what decision he made, and that relieved him as well.

Kyuubi nodded, to which Itachi closed his eyes once more.

"The Akatsuki" Itachi stated simply, as he looked at Kyuubi once more.

There was silence, a comfortable one, but it held a strong sense of tension.

"What about you, are you willing to lose yourself, Itachi?"

The raven haired male just gave a sad smile and looked up at the sky.

"I've lost myself a long time ago."


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors Note**: Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for like the two weeks delay, I didn't really think about writing anything for the past week or two, so my apologies. I'm happy with the feedback I got, and it made me all giddy inside as always. I just read some reviews now, which I somehow missed or something and I was like "Oh right" and began typing this chapter. As compensation, I'll be writing another chap or two tomorrow. Anyways, happy early thanksgiving guys, hope you all have a good one.

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Naruto stirred awake softly, stretching his arms out and letting the winter air hit his body, which was currently cocooned comfortably in a mess of blankets. He shivered in content and began to roll where he thought was more mattress, but ended up falling face first on the floor. Mumbling out a swarm of curses, he just laid there and turned to his side, thinking of what had happened a few days ago. Apparently, he was on the football team now, that was clear. However, _apparently_ was the key word in all of that. He didn't know how or why, but the coach had an immediate liking towards him. However that honestly concerned him, because the coach was far from normal, extremely far from normal. Far meaning light-years away. The inhuman shine on his perfect dentist quality teeth were blinding. The bowl haircut was shinier than chrome, and the constant tears that escaped the man's eyes were abundant and filled with joy. This guy and Rock Lee were exactly copies of each other. Naruto shuddered at the thought. It's not that he didn't like the guy, hell they only knew each other for an hour or two. If anything, Naruto thought that Gai was a pretty cool teacher, he certainly had the motivation to be a coach, that's for sure. Lee was cool too, always being helpful and friendly no matter what the situation.

The only real issue that was in Naruto's head was the actual team itself. As if by some divine absolution, all of the team members were nothing like the rest of the student population. There were always labels in high school, he understood that well. Someone may be classified as a jock, while the other might be a thug, he understood that well. However, the football team seemed so different from the rest of the student body. Honestly, they didn't actually fit into a label. There was a mixture of social groups in the team itself, and they worked well together. Like bread and butter even. They hadn't accepted him completely except for Kiba. However, their reasons were far more comforting and sensible than the rest of the student body. They needed a strong player for their team , someone who was loyal and skilled, and there were only so many positions left. It wasn't because they just didn't like the blonde for the fun of it, quite far from it actually. Some of the members of the team even cracked a few jokes, and got to know Naruto on a first name basis. There was just one particular member that really ticked Naruto off. For the life of him, he couldn't remember the name. _Was it ... Sai?_ All Naruto knew was that this guy was way to pale, honestly Naruto thought he was a walking corpse the first time they met.

Their introduction was far from normal. Naruto had only stuck out his hand for a friendly handshake and introduction. Sai only responded with a comment about his penis being the same size as Kiba's attention span. That REALLY ticked Naruto off, to the point where he was about to actually tackle Sai and beat him with a shoe.

However, the rest of the team was cool with him. They accepted him as a person, but were skeptical about him being a football player, and that was all good to Naruto. He didn't even fancy football that much anyways, as long as he made some friends, and actually bonded with some people he was good with it. He didn't even need to be part of the team, speaking of which. Why did he even enroll again?

Oh right, Kiba.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at his fate. Honestly, things were really looking up for him. The state he was in a few weeks ago compared to the state he was in now, he couldn't help but smile like an idiot. Yes, things were certainly looking up.

Naruto decided he spent enough time being intimate with the floor and got up. Naruto took the phone off of one of his nightstands and began scrolling through his messages. He rarely used his phone, it was honestly just to keep in contact with his brother, however he did manage to add two other people to his contacts. Sasuke and Kiba to be more precise. Naruto immediately found out that Sasuke was a cold texter, not using any emoticons and being straight to the point with perfect grammar, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the professional Uchiha. There were no room for jokes for the Uchiha on mobile. Honestly, he should have expected no different. Sasuke was quite an individual. When Naruto gave him his phone to put in his number, Sasuke not only did that, but actually filled up every field there was. Contact Information, emails, address, alternate usernames, work information, and everything else Naruto could think of. Was it really necessary to know everything? Naruto only smiled and began looking at Kiba's contact info.

_Kiba Inuzuka_

_Company: Fuck you incorporated_

_Address: Stalkers not welcome_

_Website: finland/kiba_

Naruto laughed at that, that sure was Kiba alright. The Inuzuka was the polar opposite of Sasuke when it came to texting. Kiba made sure to make Naruto laugh every set of three messages, making Naruto clutch his stomach because of the cramps he got from all of that laughing. Naruto found himself very content rather quickly. After all, he had made friends with the most uncommon people, Kiba and Sasuke. Although the two hated each other, the blonde was sure that he could work something out between them. The depression he had felt not that long ago almost vanished entirely, the lingering memories and mental scars were still there but the only time he was reminded of those rather dark memories were just now. Really, it wasn't all that bad. He was taking baby steps, and although he was far from happy, he was content. That was a start.

There was actually just one thing that held him back, it wasn't exactly troubling at first, but now he was getting worried. Madara had went off on a business trip just recently, just yesterday actually. Usually, Madara's schedule was routine, and systematic. Naruto hadn't expected him to take such a long journey, which was apparently somewhere half way around the world for reasons that he couldn't figure out. Of course, Madara himself was a mystery, this sudden erratic change in his schedule however, unnerved the blonde. What was more troubling was the fact that Kyuubi hadn't been home for the past few days, ever since Naruto had 'enrolled' on the school's football team. Of course, Kyuubi had sent him a message, but it was confusing to the blonde, because it had perfect grammar, and seemed well thought out, something Kyuubi would never do unless pressured or in deep thought. He knew his brother well, and the message that was currently displayed in front of him actually made him uneasy, even more so than the whole Madara issue, _if_ that was possible.

He had been pondering about nothing for too long, because his phone just went into sleep mode. Grumbling, he awakened his phone once more, and was now at the home page.

Naruto scrolled through his contacts to find Kyuubi, and went to the SMS tab. There was only one message that was sent from Kyuubi these past few days.

_I'm going out for a few days, Take money from my account if you need to eat or if anything happens. Don't call me if the latter, go to Sasuke's place as soon as possible. My phone will be disconnected so it won't do any good trying to call me. I'm with Sasuke's brother, so make sure you tell him that. if you don't hear from us soon, you'll be doing so eventually. Have a good one, Naruto. And before I forget, keep in mind a close friend of mine and his partner_-

The blonde scrolled down to read the rest.

_Is going to keep an eye on you from now on. Apparently it's your former math teacher, small world eh? I took the liberty of adding their numbers to your phone, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to call them. Don't shit yourself cause' your big brother is away, it makes me look bad._

He smiled softly at that.

_Be safe, and keep your grades up. From yours truly, Kyuubi and Itachi._

Naruto closed his eyes and began to scratch the back of his head. The 'text' he sent was more of a letter. No matter how irritated he was by it, he couldn't get the feeling of Kyuubi's message actually being a goodbye letter rather than a text away from his head. Kyuubi would be coming back soon. When, he wasn't sure. It just seemed odd to send a message like that if you were only going to be away for a few days tops.

Shrugging his shoulders, he began walking down the stairs to begin his day.

The first thing Naruto saw when he walked into his home form class was the arrangement of desks. What was once uniform in structure and evenly dispersed was now in large clumps all around the fairly large classroom. This only meant group work, and considering that Kurenai only had one class to teach, that meant that this whole arrangement was meant for them and them alone. Naruto almost had a heart attack, he had completely forgotten about the concept of group assignments. He had been isolating himself for so long in the back of the class that he couldn't even ponder about an idea that absurd. _Fucking group work._

Growling, he made his way to what would be the relative location of his desk and sat down on a random seat in that cluster. The desks where placed in groups of five, a group of four placed so that it formed one big square, with one table at the end. Naruto out of pure habit chose the table that was the odd one out. This way, he would be able to see who he was working with, and not be in such close proximity with another classmate. Just because two people in his class liked him, didn't mean the rest had to follow suit.

Really, he was unnerved by the idea. Surely Kurenai would show mercy and allow him to choose his partners. Speaking of which, Naruto glanced up to see Sasuke and Kiba both looking at the blonde, their faces showing the same concern. Naruto swallowed hard and leaned back further into his seat. He didn't even know who sat close to him before, now he was going to have to deal with them face to face instead of hiding behind the classroom. Oh what a drag.

As if on cue, the bell had rung, and all of the students that were currently in clusters in the hallways came pouring in the classroom, many of them showing looks of surprise, annoyance or even joy. Naruto scoffed as he prepared for the worst.

Two males sat in his group, with each of them showing a care free attitude. Neither of them acknowledging the other, nor Naruto. The blonde was perfectly fine with this, in fact he welcomed it. This was going well so far. He didn't know their names, but it didn't really matter.

One had hair that was the same hue as human blood, and deep bags under his eyes that could easily be passed as some form of makeup, but Naruto faced with sleep deprivation before, this redhead was the walking example of it. Surely this kid hadn't slept for a while. His cold hard emerald eyes bore onto the desk while his white earphones were in one of his ears, the other one wrapped around the other to hear if the teacher had anything to say. Lazily, he shuffled a bit and turned around, facing his bag which was currently on the floor, and began pulling out a black leather book of some sort and began flipping through some of the pages. A short glimpse of the pages indicated that it was a sketchbook of some kind, with a variety of well shaded drawings. By the speed of the pages being flipped, Naruto couldn't tell what they were, only the amount of shading done to each of them. They all looked intricate and detailed.

The blonde glanced to his left to see a sleeping, pony-tailed student. He had his arms crossed and was actually on the edge of drooling on the table. He looked at ease. The soft cream color of his skin was healthy looking and vibrant, and he seemed at ease. From what Naruto could tell, he was really out cold, but he didn't have any bags under his eyes at all, so Naruto just assumed that he was a chronic sleeper.

Someone was walking towards the table, Naruto sensed it immediately and looked up, only to widen his eyes in horror. Baggy sweatpants, a purple crewneck and a blonde ponytail. Sakura's demon companion, the one and only, Ino Yamanaka. Before he could even process the true extent of this situation, she sat down in a drop. Naruto immediately tensed when he saw her, but was surprised to see that she was paying him no mind. This changed however when she noticed Naruto staring at her and she in return, simply stared back at him. She wasn't as hostile as Sakura, but she was still someone who you shouldn't anger. Sasuke had given him that advice. Actually, Sasuke had told him to avoid every single moody female as much as possible. They were dangerous when they seemed normal, and they were even more deadly if they were angry.

However, Ino wasn't exactly 'normal' today, something was off. She seemed out of place, lost even. Her stare held no hostility, just curiosity. And just like that, it was gone, she just went back on her phone and began scrolling aimlessly through different applications while listening to her music.

Naruto sat there dumbfounded. Something in his mind was nagging at him, to which he actually tried to drown out, but failed miserabl. Before he could even process what was happening, he tapped Ino's palm which was currently resting on the desk. This caused her to flinch and stare at Naruto in question, the look of surprise was practically plastered on her face. She took off her earphones and continued staring at him, giving Naruto an opportunity to speak.

It took a while, but the words finally left his lips. "Y-you alright?" was the simple yet weak question that the blonde had come up with.

A few moments of silence passed.

"I-I mean you look off today, just wondering i-if you were okay, thas'all" he muttered quickly, while eyeing her.

If Ino was surprised before, she was baffled now. Silence followed afterwards, Naruto slowly sank deeper in his chair regretting the foolish decision of opening his mouth.

Just then Kurenai started talking, one of her aimless instructions to finish any loose work that was due this week continued on for a few short moments, and then talks about upcoming events and things of that nature dragged on for a bit more. Within a few minutes, It was over before it started, and there the raven haired woman was sitting back down, reading a heavy novel that had at least five hundred pages in it.

"Why?" was the soft response a voice gave near him. He barely heard it. Naruto looked up to see Ino staring at him with her head down, one of her feminine eyebrows were raised, and her chin was resting on both of her folded arms which lay there comfortably on the desk. She looked so different today, so ... _stable_.

"Why what" was the sophisticated answer Naruto gave. He mentally kicked himself.

Ino was about to speak but quickly glanced up at some direction. Before Naruto knew it, Ino stared at him again, but this time holding hate in her eyes.

"Why do you care? Leave me alone" was the sneer that Ino gave him, making Naruto immediately flinch and roll his eyes. _Why did I even bother_.

Naruto noticed Ino look at him briefly with an unreadable expression, the angle of Naruto's head made it so that her expression was unclear, but Naruto could make out that she was quickly glancing between him and someone else across the room.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he slightly peered out to where Ino was glancing back and forth to see none other than the pink haired devil that probably had seventeen different strands of STDS glaring daggers at him. Oh joy. His mood suddenly turned sour, and for once after such a long time, he actually wasn't in the mood for this shit.

He only clenched his fists when he noticed that Sakura was walking towards their table group. Naruto actually smirked though, he didn't know why but he felt as if he was going to enjoy this. Leaning back on his chair with new found boldness, he began eyeing the pink haired teen as she just a few steps away from their table group.

Sakura was glaring daggers at Naruto in no time, and somehow her hatred intensified two fold. However, he noticed an odd tension that wasn't actually directed at him. He discreetly looked at Ino, who was currently tapping the table with her smooth fingers in a worried manner, while weakly glancing at Sakura every few seconds.

The redhead that was closest to the pink haired teen was immune to all of this, and continued listening to his music, but Naruto caught a few glimpses or two coming from the red head. As for the sleeping one, he was now awake but barely.

Naruto looked up to see if Sasuke or Kiba was watching any of this, but he cursed his luck when Kiba was too busy sleeping, and Sasuke was rushing to finish one of his assignments.

"Why' you here Ino?" She asked innocently in a sickeningly sweet voice, all the while glaring at Naruto.

Ino in return mumbled out one thing or another and began to stand up before the redhead spoke out.

"You should leave Haruno" was the simple, cold and collected response that came from the deep voice. It sent shivers down Naruto's spine. It was a pleasant voice, in an odd, mysterious and murderous sense. Naruto only chuckled at how his brain worked. Anybody else would have fled the scene by such a tone, but if anything, Naruto wanted to hear more. Something about the redhead was screaming, no practically radiating the 'badass' vibe, and Naruto had a feeling that this little quarrel between Sakura and himself would only prove to be even more interesting than anticipated. This was the first time he heard the redhead actually speak.

Naruto saw Sakura physically flinch, but she stubbornly maintained her ground.

"I'm just here to talk to Ino" was the sneer she gave, more directed at Naruto than anything else.

"You should reconsider" was the immediate cold response he gave in return, making her widen her eyes for a moment, but somehow this girl still held her ground. Naruto was about to burst into laughter, it wasn't an everyday thing to see the head brat of the classroom almost wetting herself, by just a voice. This redhead certainly interested Naruto.

"I don't like the tone you're using with me Gaara" was the response Sakura gave. Although she tried to appear strong, Naruto could tell that her legs were about to wobble in fear.

_Ahh so he has a name, Gaara, is it?_

"And I don't like the way you're staring at _him_" Gaara responded with a slight nod near Naruto's direction. "But by all means, you're to do as you please, am I correct?" Gaara added coldly.

Sakura finally gave it up, and began walking to her own group. Naruto could practically feel the anger that she was radiating from here, this entire event must have really hit her pride, the blonde could tell that easily. _Her ego was put in place_. The blonde turned to Gaara who was currently adjusting his earphones to listen to music once again.

"Thank you" the blonde managed to say before swallowing hard. Emerald Eyes stared back at him, making him almost choke due to the intensity right afterwards.

"Mmhm" was the response Gaara gave, along with a slight nod.

Naruto looked up to the side to see Ino, who had an unreadable expression on her face. However, Naruto had a feeling it was along the lines of 'relief'. Why, Naruto didn't know, but he was actually quite amused by that.


End file.
